Harry Potter and the Ghost of Battles Past
by Jibidy
Summary: This book begins the day after the Deathly Hallows ends. The focus of the story will be Harry's last year of Hogwarts as he prepares for his career as an auror. I will delve into branches of magic that have remained largely untouched by J.K. Rowling and this book is the primer for an additional four books following this one. Will vary from the Epilogue and The Cursed Child.
1. Assessing the situation

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style. I would encourage you to read beyond the first chapter to get a better feel for how the story is going to go. The first half of this chapter was necessary, but doesn't reflect the feel for where I am taking the majority of my series.

 **Chapter 1: Assessing the situation**

For many years, Harry Potter had considered himself a boy like any other. It was a few years back that he found out that fate had other designs. Finally he could make that claim again. He was a normal teenager, free to do and be what he liked. Sure, he might be the only one who saw himself that way, but it was a step in the right direction.

Harry had just spent the last year on the run, scouting for dark artifacts to fulfill a prophecy made when he was just a baby. His search had culminated in a grand battle that even the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry history professor could not make boring, probably. Harry had won the battle, but there was a cost was high. He had spent the day following the Battle of Hogwarts, as people now called it, processing the loss of life and generally feeling numb to the world. He finally collapsed from exhaustion as the sun mercifully set. As he drifted off to sleep he began to flash back to the events of the previous day.

He felt the grass rustle under his feet as he walked from the castle to meet Voldemort. He noticed the eerie calm as he marched to his death. The moon was blocked by a dense layer of clouds, the grounds of Hogwarts were as dark as they have ever been, and the air was incredibly still, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Harry entered the Forbidden Forest and whispered his intention to die to the Snitch. He retrieved the resurrection stone and flipped it in his hand. Once. Twice. Three times. In an instant he was surrounding by the people who had died protecting him, and he felt the added weight of responsibility for each. There were some new faces in addition to old: his parents, Sirius, Cedric, Dumbledore, Remus, Tonks, Fred, & Snape. There was so much Harry wanted to say, but he knew he had precious little time with them.

He started with Snape whose features seemed to soften in death. His standard sneer removed and a slight acknowledgement of earned respect in his eyes. Harry spoke to him without distain but with more than a hint of uncomfortable gratitude; "Thank you Severus, I will remember this... Always."

Remus and Tonks were next. They urged Harry to take care of Teddy. They asked Harry to pass on the legacy of the Marauders. Teddy's situation was too close to his own and the realization hit Harry like a lightning bolt; a less scar-shaped and more figurative lightning bolt. He made a personal vow to do everything in his power to protect and to show Teddy a better childhood than he had. Harry would show his godson all of the wonders he had missed growing up. There would be muggle zoos, museums, and amusement parks, as well as whatever it was wizard children did for fun.

As Fred approached Harry, there was a desperation about him that was starkly in contrast to his normal demeanor. Fred 's only concern was for George. George had to carry on, he had to design new pranks and bring joy and new ways to skive off class to the students of Hogwarts.

Finally was Dumbledore. Harry poured out his frustration and eventual acquiescence to die into this final conversation. After all, he was more than willing to die to protect those he loved, and to protect Hogwarts. It only seemed inevitable after so many had died protecting him. Finally his time had come, and he would go willingly. Harry felt ashamed that he was unable to prepare another to take on his quest to finish Voldemort after his death, but he was confident Hermione would take on the challenge as her own.

"It always had to be you to defeat him, Harry" stated Dumbledore knowingly with a gleam in his eye.

"Defeat him? Defeat him? I'm on my way to let him kill me. If only you were still alive, the prophecy would be fulfilled and you would be here to finish the job. We've needed you this past year, Hogwarts needed you, I still need you… All that is needed from me, is what I am about to do."

As Harry completed his words he noted a phoenix's cry in the back ground, with the words "Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it" echoing in his mind.

Harry slowly faded from his dream back into reality, but he could still hear the faint echo of the phoenix. Bleary eyed he stumbled to the boy's dormitory window scanning the sky for a sign of Fawkes. He looked over the quidditch pitch. It was now pockmarked with craters. The stands were battered and burned. One set had intentionally razed to the ground for use as battlements against the pending attack. The hoops had been flung aside and lay in a bent heap and the locker rooms burned to the ground until all that remained were ashes.

He continued to search and saw the lake had a red tinge around the shallows. Bodies had been pushed against the shoreline. As he scanned the entirety of the lake, Harry watched as the giant squid tossed another corpse to shore. It sank into depths and then bobbed to the surface as the bloated body came to rest.

Unable to stand the sight Harry continued to cast his gaze around the battlefield. No the school he corrected himself. He found the whomping willow. Few knew the secret to staying the willow's hand, and none of them must have been on Voldemort's side last night. While the whomping willow took some minor spell damage, it dealt a far greater blow to the enemy. No less than ten bodies surrounded the tree. Everywhere he looked Harry saw devastation. As he scanned the sky, Harry could see no sign of Fawkes, but the echo of the phoenix remained.

At that moment Harry could not help but notice the blood red sky painted on the horizon by the sunrise. It all became too much for Harry to handle and a single tear fell from his eye to the ground below. All of the pain, all of the loss, all of the emotion seemed to leave Harry with that single tear. Like that tear, Harry fell to his knees. His eyes unfocused as the phoenix's lament culminated and the smoldering red of a phoenix flashed throughout the morning sky. Everything went dark and as his head hit the ground and an almost inaudible laugh came from the shadows.

***HPGBP***

Harry woke up with a pounding headache. He took in the scenery he knew so well, but this time the sterile hospital wing of Hogwarts was filled with occupants. Most of the others were much worse off than he. In the bed in the corner, Seamus was suffering through a large dose of skelegro. Harry remembered his run-in with the stuff and a bitter and chalky taste came to mind. Harry had no desire to use it ever again if it could be helped.

To his left, Hannah Abbott was healing from a cutting curse to the upper right thigh. The wound had a sickly orange discharge surrounding a black and green cut. Madam Pomfrey had been treating the wound for the last few days with a modicum of success. Harry could hear her muttering under her breath about children being hit with dark curses.

Harry went on surveying the victims in the ward, but as he sat up, Madam Pomfrey heard the rustle. "I'll be right there Mr. Potter. A few tests and you should be good to go, let me just finish dressing this wound."

As Harry waited, he tried to remember the events leading to his arrival in the ward. He could remember his dream, his guilt over the death of so many of his family and friends. He remembered waking up hearing Fawkes sing. He remembered the devastation of Hogwarts and the last glint of phoenix fire in the dawn's light. Then there was nothing. Had he been attacked? It didn't all seem to make sense.

"Mister Potter, you seem to be feeling better." stated the healer and she shifted her attention to Harry.

"I am still feeling a bit peaked, but I don't know how I got here?" Harry half said, half asked.

"You were found unconscious in the dormitory this morning by Mr. Weasley. We initially worried about foul play, but no residual magic was found around you. Upon examination it appears you were suffering from both magical and physical exhaustion. I have given you fluids and pepper up potion for starters. Overall there is little I can do for you except ask you to rest and restrain from magic for the week."

"Does that mean I am free to leave?"

"Let me run a brief diagnostic charm to see that you have stabilized and then you may go." The spell _Signae vita_ was immediately followed by _mensio magias facultas._ "Peculiar... Mr. Potter come see me in three days to make sure your recovery is progressing. For now you seem to be healthy enough to leave."

"What do you mean peculiar?"

"Frankly Mister Potter, I have seen more of your magical signature than any other student I have ever met, but something has changed. I noticed the aberration this morning, but I just validated the change. We don't have time to look into it further for now, but most of the sick or injured will be healed or shipped to St Mungo's within three days and we can run more tests at that time. The change doesn't appear to be harmful so it will have to wait until then."

As Harry left the hospital wing he began to wander to the great hall. Of course he realized what the change was but no one else would. How do you explain to everyone that you have been harboring a dark wizard's soul for sixteen out of the seventeen years of your life without receiving everyone's pity or worse... suspicion? He could hear the daily profit articles now _Potter's Parasite_ , _The Boy who Lived: with the Dark Lord's Soul,_ and _He Who Must Not be Trusted_. The stories would slowly turn to dark predictions of Harry's future; after all he did at one point have a link into Voldemort's mind.

Harry continued past the suits of armor that had previously defended the castle. As he walked through the halls he began to realize how much repair had happen while he slept. He was approaching the great hall when he looked out a window. The lake had sparkling clear water and all of the craters had been filled in with the hints of new blades of grass popping through the soil. He shook his head in confusion. Had the Hogwarts he had seen yesterday morning been part of his dream or was it real? He tried to think back to yesterday, but it was all a blur of faces. The battle on the other hand was still clear in his mind. There was damage to the grounds and rubble in the castle. The extent eluded Harry. Was it minimal enough to have been largely fixed overnight?

As Harry staggered into the great hall, his ears were assaulted by all of the conversation. There was an immense amount of excitement that wasn't present the day before. Harry joined Hermione and the remnants of the Weasley clan at the Gryffindor table. It became clear immediately Harry had missed something, something big.

"Hermione, what's going on?"

"Harry!? It's all over the castle haven't you heard? Harry Potter was released from the hospital wing in only five hours... I think it's a new school record!" Hermione bit her lip and smiled waiting for his reaction.

As realization dawned on him, he stuck his tongue out at her. "Hermione, now's not the time to be cheeky, what's going on?"

"People all over the castle heard a phoenix this morning. Everyone is under the impression that Fawkes came back to help everyone grieve, to provide closure. No one saw him though. All we know is he was heard this morning and there was a flash of red fire light seen all around Hogwarts and the grounds were repaired instantaneously. The magic didn't seem to extended to the physical structures around Hogwarts, but the battlefield has been cleansed of blood and damage. Some people say they saw the phoenix dive into the ground, others say he was consumed in a massive flame that exploded outwards over the grounds. Other versions include his ashes raining down, and anything touched was made anew. The stories are growing more fantastical by the hour. No one knows what happened. Speaking of which, what happened to you this morning?"

"I heard Fawkes this morning too! I was having a dream about the last battle and talking with Dumbledore when I heard his cry. I woke up and started trying to find him, to see Fawkes. As I search the sky I saw the devastation and then a blaze of red. Explosions of gold seemed to sparkle from the sky as I passed out. Madam Pomfrey says that I was exhausted from the battle and I just need time to sleep and recover."

Hermione furrowed her brow as she took in the new data. "Were you having any strong emotions as you talked to Dumbledore in your dream?"

"You could say that. I had just finished talking with newest batch of the 'I died to save Harry club'."

"That's it then Harry. Your strong emotions and loyalty must have called Fawkes back to the school. Dumbledore had said that by showing extreme loyalty to him in the Chamber of Secrets you called Fawkes to you before. This must have caused a similar reaction to occur. Phoenixes have been known to have healing powers, but I don't know of any stories like this. I need to head to the library to do some research to see if there is precedent. I'll catch up with you later."

"Mwherez Herminee goin?" Ask Ron through a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"She went to do some research in the library. What's on the schedule for today?"

"Kingsley should be back from his debriefing with McGonagall any minute. He was supposed to supervise the clean-up today. Since that isn't needed Dad says he will probably be visiting with the survivors and doing general morale building. He asked to talk with me, can you believe it! He was asking about you too, but you were in the hospital wing. I'll find you when we're done talking and fill you in on what he wants." Ron sat up a little straighter as he finished talking.

"I'm happy to let you have the attention; you can leave me out of it. Has there been talk about what is going to happen next year?"

"Initially there were talks of closing the school, but that was quickly countered since Voldemort isn't a threat anymore. People were hesitant to buy into that since the ministry has claimed he was vanquished before, but it seems Malfoy senior was useful for once. His dark mark is gone entirely which validated the claim." Both Ron and Harry took this as a cue to unabashedly stare at the Malfoys.

"What's going to happen to them?" Harry asked with a mix of disdain and pity in his inflection.

"Between the Malfoys' last minute change of heart and an extremely large donation the ministry received this morning they will likely avoid Azkaban. There are talks of a lot of muggle volunteer work and as well as a foundation to support muggle born witches and wizards. The worst part for them will be the mandated 5 year wand suspension with an adult trace placed on both Lucius and Narcissa permanently." Ron said with a resigned grimace.

"An adult trace?" inquired Harry.

"It's similar to the trace put on underage witches and wizards except all magic performed will be recorded for public viewing. The purpose is to monitor for any dark magic, but to pure bloods like the Malfoys there is nothing worse than your every action being known publicly." Ron stated with a smirk.

As Ron finished his sentence the great hall was quieted by the arrival of the Ministry contingent. While everyone was distracted, but before the Ministry could take the floor, Harry managed to grab Ginny's hand and sneak out of the great hall.


	2. A fork in the road

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 2: A fork in the road**

Harry and Ginny made their way out of the castle and onto the grounds. Not sure where he was going or exactly what he was going to say, Harry went on autopilot toward the quidditch pitch. Harry once again confirmed the ground beneath the pitch had been repaired, but the stands and the locker rooms were still in shambles. As they walked hand in hand the sun beat down on them. Harry noted that it was rather warm for May, but relaxed as a slight breeze drifted over the lake cooling them as they went. The silence built but wasn't uncomfortable for the two as they both collected their thoughts.

They climbed the flight of stairs leading to remaining set of seats still standing. As they sat down, Harry debated how to start this conversation and tried to boost his own self-confidence. In the end Harry chickened out andsettled on starting the conversation off the easy way. "How are you holding up Ginny?"

"I don't think it's sunk in yet. Both Fred's death and Voldemort's defeat seem so distant. On one hand I feel like at any moment Fred will waltz it with a clever joke after pulling off this fake death prank. Everyone will be excited to see him but furious at his and George's antics. On the other I am still leery to say Voldemort is truly gone." Ginny paused as she stared off at the castle deep in thought.

"I was thinking about Fred last night, he would have insisted that George keep the shop open and the pranks going. They've helped so many people you know? Fred was a light in the darkness. While everyone else cowered and hid, Fred was boldly making a statement against Voldemort and protecting the people with clothing with built in self defense spells. Fred helped bring joy and safety to the population while I was off wondering what to do. In times of uncertainty he was steadfast even though it risked Voldemort's retaliation. Fred is one of the greatest heroes of the fight." Harry sighed as a weight lift off his chest. He felt as if he had said the right thing for once and waited for Ginny's reaction.

Ginny just stared into Harry's eyes as the dam started to break. "Oh Harry... It's not just him, it's the whole last year. You didn't live through Hogwarts this year. Yes McGonagall and Flitwick tried to protect us, but the others tried to make us use unforgivable curses, and when we refused they were used on us. I was tortured mutliple times throughout the year. I can still feel the sting of the crucio curse on my skin. They pitted all students against each other. Threats of being a werewolf's dinner were common but the worst is they expected students to watch. Some poor first year Hufflepuff was the first to go. I still see his face in my dreams. His limbs writhing in agony as he was torn apart. Last year forced us to leave our childhood behind and I am not sure I will ever be the same. I just want to go home and curl up in bed, but I am not sure even that will make me feel better."

Harry didn't know how to respond, so he just pulled Ginny in for a hug and let her cry. His whole right shoulder was soaked with tears. As Ginny regained her composure Harry rhetorically asked "Where do we go from here?"

Ginny lifted her head up, sniffled, and in a small, sweet voice asked perhaps the simplest and yet most complex question ever asked to Harry. "We?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. As he ran his hand through his hair it paused on his neck as he spoke honestly without pretense. "That wasn't how I meant to bring that up, it was meant to be rhetorical, but yes we. I broke up with you last year because I knew what I had to do. That is I knew I had to fight Voldemort, the rest we had to make up as we went. All I knew for sure was that I was his number one target and I would die if I had to in order to finish him off. I didn't know what would happen to me and I couldn't risk making you a bigger target. Since that is behind us, I want to give us another go. We can have a fair shake at this now that there isn't a dark lord coming for me. For the first time in my life a prophecy isn't controlling my destiny and I want to enjoy it."

Ginny's tears continued as the smile as her face grew. She threw her arms around Harry's neck and pulled him in close. They both instinctively tilted their heads slightly as Harry's lips gently caressed Ginny's. For what could have been seconds or it could have been an hour, Harry and Ginny stayed locked in this position feeling as if the rest of the world didn't exist. All that there was this moment.

As the tension that had been built prior to the pending conversation faded, it began to feel as if the pain and separation over the last year had never occurred. Harry and Ginny continued on as if they had never broken up. "Hey Gin, do you want to walk around the lake?"

Ginny replied with a simple "Sure" as she reached for Harry's hand and they made their way out of the quidditch stands.

As they went they carried on a more casual conversation, specifically avoiding the topics of Voldemort and Death Eaters. They shared their favorite stories about those they had lost. Harry found a particular story about Tonks and Lupin especially entertaining. During the early part of their relationship when the Order was using Grimmauld Place as their headquarters, Ginny had gotten more than an eye full of their budding romance. The pair must not have realized that Ginny had still been in the house when they decided to show Walburga's portrait how little they cared about her opinions by snogging in front of the portrait. As they became better acquainted with one another, the portrait was going off about creatures and blood traitors having relations. By the time the story was finished, Ginny was blushing and Harry was about to fall over from laughing so hard.

As Harry and Ginny reached the lake, they sat down and leaned against a tree. Harry recovered from his laughing fit and resumed the conversation."That reminds me that I want to get rid of that portrait the next time I am at Grimmauld Place. I think I might know how to do it." Harry said matter of factly.

Ginny gave Harry a sideways glance that clearly stated she thought he was barmy. "And how do you plan on doing that?"

"In the downtime we had last year we studied and discussed some magical theory. I am pretty sure Ron and I went through the basics of ancient runes over the last year and have been thoroughly quizzed by Hermione to make sure we knew the material. It may have been worse than sitting for my OWLs." Ginny understood having studied with Hermione before.

"One night after we had been reminiscing about family and friends, we got on the subject of how to get rid of that portrait. I will spare you Hermione's hour long diatribe about Walburga being a bigot, but we came to two key factors for the scenario. We will call them right and might. Right stands for having the authority to make the change. The house and its wards answer only to the owner of the house. Prior to his death, only Sirius could have made the change. If anyone else tried to remove the painting the house would have reinforced the spell by drawing ambient magic through its wards making the task impossible except to Sirius. Per Sirius' will, I own the house and therefore have the right to make the change without the wards resisting."

"That makes some sense, but if it was that easy it wouldn't be called the permanent sticking charm." chimed in Ginny.

"You're correct. The permanent sticking charm mixes the essence of multiple elements so that it is nearly impossible to remove one from the other. Much less energy is needed to mix them, than is required to separate them. The difficulty in undoing the charm, however, is dictated by the strength of the original spell caster. If the caster of the sticking charm is relatively weak magically, undoing the spell would be like sorting a mixture of apples and oranges; which is no trouble at all. On the other hand, if the wizard that cast the spell is strong magically, undoing it would be like separating two colors of sand that were mixed together, and good luck with that!"

Ginny stared back at Harry wondering if he had spent too much time with Hermione. Not only was he talking about magical theory, it seemed to make sense, but it left her thinking. "But where are you going to get enough power to overcome the previous charm?"

"While we were hunting Voldemort we found some strong magical artifacts that could help with the process." Harry swallowed and decided to be intentionally vague. "Dumbledore had given us some of them in his will and while we had lost the sword of Gryffindor, Ron found it again in the woods. I think they could be the key to overcoming the problem."

"What did you find?" Ginny asked with her interest peaked.

Harry had been warned to limit the number of people he talked to about horcruxes, causing him to hesitate. The more people knew of them, the greater the potential another would try to replicate the feat. Also, the Deathly Hallows had quite the reputation; he didn't want people finding out about them and targeting him. He resolved to talk to Hermione and Ron about the topic and be vague for now."I don't want to go into too many details, but we found multiple relics of the founders that had been tainted with dark magic. I am sure the ministry will want to keep it hushed up and I don't want people searching for the objects. Dark magic can corrupt and I rather protect everyone by having as few people know about the specifics as possible. If you still want to know more we can revisit the topic after everything calms down."

Ginny wasn't happy with how that went and made a mental note to bring this up next summer. Since Harry brought up the topic, she decided to run with it. "So what do you think the ministry will do now that Voldemort is dead?"

"I am guessing they will try to appear involved with his defeat. We will likely get awards and the ministry will want us to do some publicity for them."

"And you're going to?" Ask Ginny indignantly.

"I will go along with some of it but I have some requests it return." stated Harry simply, not sure if his plans would work.

Ginny smiled as a realization came to her "Are you going to have them make you an Auror? I am sure they will! That would be a win-win situation for all involved. They get their publicity and you get your dream job!"

"I thought about that, but I am not sure I am ready for it yet. If nothing else over the last year, I have learned how much I still need to learn. Without Hermione we wouldn't have lasted a week on our own. I think I want to go back to Hogwarts and get my NEWTs. I don't want to become an Auror because it was given to me, I want to get the job because I have earned it. Can you imagine the hassle I would get for being given a spot in the recruiting class? Look here comes the ministry's golden boy, don't make him mad or he will run and tell the minister!"

The smile faded from Ginny's face as she realized she would have to make a choice. Could she go back to school for another year? Harry would likely be in her classes and it would be more like the old days. As she tried to picture it, other flashbacks of the last year overwhelmed her. Hogwarts wasn't safe to her anymore, it had been forever tainted. She wasn't sure what her future held, but it wasn't going to be Hogwarts next year. "Harry... I'm not going back. I don't know how to tell mom, but I can't stay here at Hogwarts."

"Then what's your plan?" inquired Harry.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking about trying out for the professional quidditch teams. Between retirement and threats from Voldemort, the teams' rosters are unusually low. I may have a shot at least as a backup chaser for this season. With some practice maybe I could be a starter next year! If that doesn't work I will see what jobs I am qualified for with my OWLs and go from there."

"Any team you're hoping for?"

"I would love to play for the Holyhead Harpies, but I think I have a fair shot at the Puddlemere United's Reserve Team or the Chudley Cannons. Ron would love if I played for them, I am sure he would want me to get him season tickets."

"That makes two of us. Well, I want tickets either way. The team doesn't matter so much, but I am a big fan of a certain player." That earned him a quick kiss as Ginny then rested her head on his shoulder.

They both began to contemplate their futures and the next steps they would need to take. Their conversation continued on well into the afternoon before their stomachs told them it was time to head back. As they reached the castle Harry thought he should catch up with Ron and Hermione to discuss future plans. "Save me a seat at dinner, I have some things I need to do and should be there shortly."

"Don't be too long or else you might miss out." Ginny said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss Harry on the forehead. As she walked away Harry watched her leave until she turned the corner. Once she was out of sight he pulled out the Marauder's Map to find Ron and Hermione.


	3. Plotting Potter

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 3: Plotting Potter**

Harry arrived at the library to find Hermione carrying a stack of seven books back to the shelves. She appeared to be in the vicinity of the magical creatures and ancient mythology sections. Seeing her cloak still at the table, Harry decided to wait for her there. As she approached he saw her glance at the shelves on her way back, looking for additional books to use in her research. She had a slight frown and was clearly still in deep concentration. Based on these facts Harry assumed she had not been successful in her quest to explain this morning's events and decided it would be best to avoid the topic for now.

"Can we talk before we head out to dinner?" inquired Harry casually.

Still frustrated by the lack of information, Hermione replied "What now?" in an exasperated but concerned tone.

"I just thought we should come up with a game plan with what to tell the ministry. I was hoping Ron was here, but he seemed to be wandering the castle when I checked the map."

"Won't we just tell them what they want to know?" asked Hermione not realizing what she was missing.

"We could but I would rather be in control of the conversation. In this case we have all the cards and I was thinking that if we play them right we can prevent the ministry from using us like pawns." Harry said nervously. Hermione had historically followed authority figures when under pressure, he was going to be asking an awful lot from her.

"And here I thought you were a Gryffindor not a Slytherin." Hermione stated mockingly, but curious.

Harry catalogued the few things he was confident the ministry would require of him and began listing them to Hermione. "Well I figure we're going to get multiple requests from the ministry and maybe even Professor McGonagall. The ministry will want to know the whole story, they will want us to show support for the ministry publicly in some fashion, and they will want us to receive some ministry recognition. Professor McGonagall will want us to come back to Hogwarts. My understanding is that last year wasn't pretty and having us here would be a vote of confidence that it is safe to return."

"You're likely right on all accounts, but what are you proposing?" inquired Hermione as she analyzed Harry's intent.

Harry had to figure out where to start and settled on a question he thought he knew the answer to. "Well the first thing I need to know is if you want to go back school next year."

Hermione paused for a moment but realized this was an easy choice. "I hadn't thought about it, but of course. I need to get my NEWTs if I want to get a Mastery in any subject, and I doubt any healers will let me apprentice without them either."

"You want to be a healer?" asked a shocked Harry.

Hermione had been slowly coming to this conclusion over the last seven years and had settled on the career path seeing the devastation of the recent battle. "Well I would like to learn magical healing, various muggle healing techniques, and do some research into either mixing them or building upon current knowledge. After all of the injuries I have seen and pain caused by dark magic, I want to try to help alleviate some of it. I considered going into politics and fighting for magical creature rights, but there is nothing saying I can't be involved in that on the side. I feel like this is the best way for me to make a difference."

"I think I can work with that. We will need to see if Ron plans on coming back next year, but I know Ginny isn't interested." stated Harry.

"So back to my original question, what are you proposing Harry?" asked Hermione suspiciously.

Harry didn't want to come across to pushy with his arguments and needed Hermione's feedback, planning, and most importantly buy in. "I have a few requests and I think they are fairly reasonable, but feel free to let me know if you think differently. First, if we are to return to Hogwarts we should request some focused education. With all of the emphasis of the deathly hallows in our search last year, I want to request time with Mr. Ollivander to understanding wandlore and everything that goes into making a wand and the attributes that result. Since you want to go into healing, we could request that you could apprentice under Madam Pomfrey. I don't know if Ron has an area he would like to study, but we could include that as well. I also want to work with Professor McGonagall on animagus training if any of us is capable of becoming one."

Harry could tell by Hermione's facial expression that she was supportive so he continued. "From a ministry stand point I will require that the minister, Professor McGonagall, and anyone else they want to know the full story to take an unbreakable vow not to share the information of the events of last year with anyone. They can share generalizations, but the specifics about horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows need to be left out. Part of the vow also should be that they will never try to attain the deathly hallows for any reason." Harry paused and saw that Hermione was waiting for him to continue so he decided to get her opinion so far "Those seem reasonable... right?"

Hermione took her time and looked at them for the ministry's point of view as well as Professor McGonagall's before she gave her reply. "If I could, I want to paraphrase your intentions." Harry shook his head yes, so she continued "You want to safeguard the information about horcruxes so people aren't inclined to copy Voldemort. You want to hide the fact you have the Deathly Hallows so you aren't attacked as well as to prevent the endless cycle of killing over the elder wand. And the final request is to increase our training and knowledge. Does that sum it up?" Harry once again nodded his head in agreement. "I think the only controversial piece is the unbreakable vow, but in this circumstance it seems reasonable. We should consider taking a modified version amongst the three of us. That might make it more palatable to the ministry and Professor McGonagall."

Harry agreed with Hermione but hesitated with his final thought. "The last one is going to be deal breaker I fear. I want to have access to all of the ministry's information, I want to be an Unspeakable once I am out of school as well."

Hermione paled at the ramifications of the request. To her knowledge no one requests to become an Unspeakable; they request that you become one. "Harry, I don't know if that's within the minister's power. May I ask why you want to become one? And I'm confused because I thought you wanted to be an Auror."

Harry thought both answers were obvious, but proceeded with his explanation. "I want to become an Unspeakable because I am tired of information that impacts me being kept from me. My whole life I have been kept in the dark, and that needs to end. To your second question, yes I want to become an Auror. Having access to information does not preclude me from that duty, it would be in addition to those responsibilities."

Hermione weighed her response in her head. She agreed that this likely would be the most controversial request of Harry's, she also felt he had a valid point and wanted her named added to the list. " I agree that we should make your first list requirements for our cooperation. These are more reasonable and I think we can get everyone onboard. The last item is going to be trickier, it might need to be left as a request, but slightly modified." Harry cocked his head sideways as he waited for Hermione to finish her thought. "We want to become Unspeakables, not just you."

As Hermione was finishing her thoughts, an impatient Ron arrived at the library. "I've been searching the whole castle for you two. It's dinner time and I am hungry, ready to go?"

"Hold up mate, we can go in a couple of minutes. We need to know if you have spoken to the minister yet?" asked Harry.

"Nah, he's been busy. I'm supposed to find him after we eat. Why?" Ron asked impatiently.

"Hermione and I have been talking about what we're going to do next year. I want to be an Auror and I want to do it the old fashioned way, by meeting all of the requirements, which means I need my NEWTS. I don't think you'll be surprised that Hermione would prefer to get hers as well. What do are you planning?" Harry inquired.

"I had planned on becoming an Auror with you, but after last year I am not so sure. All of the planning and waiting for leads that may or may not come isn't for me. We spent a whole year tracking horcruxes and it seems like a little bit of luck played more into the equation than most of our efforts. Crabbe took one out with fiendfyre, Neville got one with the sword because of the sorting hat, Voldemort took out two himself and sort of killed Harry in the process. Don't get me wrong, we made a big difference, but I am just not cut out for it... I know George is going to need some help around the shop. I can't replace Fred, but I can be there to support him and to help with the work." As Ron finished speaking he turned his head away trying to fight back the tears that were building at the thought of his lost brother.

Hermione pulled Ron in for a hug. "That may be one of the sweetest things you've ever said Ronald Weasley"

"You know it's not going to be the same without you mate. Are you sure about this? I know I don't have Voldemort after me anymore, but we always do better when we stick together? Are you sure you can't stay for one last year?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"It's not just one more year, it's NEWT year. And I'll always be here if you need me, I just don't think I am cut out for another year of school. We all know Hermione has always been the brains of the operation. You two will do fine without me in classes, but it doesn't mean I won't meet up with my best mate and my girlfriend during Hogsmeade weekends." Ron said nonchalantly waiting for Harry's response.

With that exclamation Harry's eyebrows raised and a big smile came across his face. "And when did that become official?"

Hermione decided to field this question and excitedly went into the brief story. "It was the night after the battle. We had briefly been separated while helping to search the grounds for remaining death eaters. We were filthy and tired, but we both spent a good portion of the evening searching for each other once we knew the grounds we secure. Around midnight we finally found each other. We were exhausted and I almost collapsed, but Ron caught me in his arms. He said he didn't want to risk losing me again, and he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"Congratulations to you both!" said Harry, giving Hermione a hug and Ron a pat on the back. Since he already had Hermione on board, he had no doubt that Ron would go along with it. "Let's head to dinner, and I will fill you in on the on the way."

The trio grabbed their stuff from the table and headed towards the Great Hall. As they were leaving the library Harry came up with some advice for Ron that trailed off through the hallways "You and Ginny could break the news to your mother at the same time, it may deflect some of the aftermath. She has no intentions of coming back to Hogwarts either. Apparently the death eaters were less than pleasant professors."


	4. Negotiations

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 4: Negotiations**

As dinner was wrapping up, Kingsley walked into the Great Hall looking exhausted, but in better spirits than this morning. While no physical or magical work was needed at Hogwarts, the emotional damage was extensive. Kingsley had visited the sick and made sure the plans to transition the patients to St. Mungo's were finalized. This constituted the care of a total of fifteen patients and their family members. The most critical patient's were transferred already, but the remaining patient's would be moved over the next two days. The reason for the move was not for better care, but simply due to the lack of supplies. While well stocked on healing potions and remedies, the vast number of patients requiring treatment taxed even Hogwarts stores. With over fifty lives lost in the battle, the rest of Kingsley's day was spent consoling family members. Since the hard part of his day behind him, his mood lightened up as he approached the table that currently held the Weasleys along with Harry and Hermione. "Good evening, do you all mind if I borrow Ron for a while?"

"Actually Kingsley mate, you'll be getting the three of us to start" stated Ron confidently after washing down the last bit of dinner with some pumpkin juice. As he finished speaking, Mrs. Weasley's astonishment could be felt by all at the table. She was clearly appalled by her youngest son's behavior.

Mrs. Weasley was in the process of standing up to lecture her son when Kingsley cut in. Mrs. Weasley had to quickly put her pointing finger down and take a seat, while Ron's behavior would go unchecked for now, there would be discussion about this later. "As you wish, it will probably speed up the process anyway." stated Kingsley with a sigh. With that he gestured to follow him as he headed to the room behind the staff dining table.

On their way there, Harry hesitantly asked Kingsley to send for Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey as well. Kingsley looked perplexed, but went to ask an Auror to complete the task.

The trio continued into the room to await everyone's arrival. Hermione paced nervously as they waited. Harry for once seemed to be calm as he rehearsed what he would say in his head. He had once heard that all good plans are only good until you engage the enemy, so he focused on the opening discussion.

Kingsley arrived moments later, followed by a perplexed Professor McGonagall. "This is quite out of the ordinary Mr. Potter. What do you wish to discuss?"

"I would prefer to wait for Madam Pomfrey to arrive before we go into specifics if you don't mind Headmistress. While we wait can you tell me what the plan is for Hogwarts next year? Will classes resume as usual?" inquired Harry.

"I am sure the board of governors will see fit to open the school once again next year. That being said I fear that many students will not want to return. I do believe our enrollment will be down." Professor McGonagall stated somberly. She seemed to look up at the trio with hope, but they cast their eyes to the floor avoiding any forms of nonverbal confirmation. The silence was broken by Madam Pomfrey joining the group.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, and Miss Granger now that we are all here let's get started" stated Kingsley confidently.

Harry had gotten used to dealing with Mrs. Weasley, so he knew how critical it was to interrupt before Kingsley could get too much momentum. "Actually, Sir, before we continue I have some stipulations prior to the conversation going any further. It is no secret that the ministry and I have had our differences. While I know that was your predecessors, I would like to protect the public by limiting access to the information we are about to discuss. I have two conditions for sharing this information with you and I feel they are fair to all involved. Once the conditions are agreed to, I will tell you all you want to know. After which I also have a request I would like to make of you."

"Mr. Potter, you realize I am the Minister for Magic. We can do this the easy way or the hard way if necessary." threatened Kingsley in a calm tone of voice.

Even though it made him nervous, Harry pressed on, "And you make my point for me, Kingsley. The government has used me, my family, and my friends long enough. You have not even asked to hear my terms and you are already casually trying to intimidate me. As far as the hard way, that won't be an option. Let's just say I have safe guarded the information and you wouldn't want to have to explain why Harry Potter was killed while under interrogation by the ministry." Harry poignantly countered, even if he was bluffing. He had played his cards, now all he could do was wait. He turned to Ron who looked about as bold as a Chihuahua hiding between its owners legs and hoped he was putting on a better front Hermione kept nervously switching her weight from one foot to the other. If Harry had to guess, she was about a minute away from getting sick in the nearest bathroom.

After another twenty seconds, Kingsley dryly asked "And what are your terms Mr. Potter?"

With a sigh of relief, Harry continued "Thank you Kingsley. The first is that Hermione and I would like to finish our educations at Hogwarts. There are two subjects that Hermione and I would like to study outside of the normal curriculum that we wish to take in addition to normal classes. Hermione has an interest in learning more about healing and I would like to study wandlore. My understanding is that Hogwarts had a rough year last year, and I believe continuing our studies could help rebuild some confidence that Hogwarts is once again a safe place to send your kids. In addition we would like to work with Professor McGonagall over the summer to determine if any of the three of us have the ability to become an animagus. "Harry paused to see how this first demand was going with Minister as well as Headmistress. From the looks of it Professor McGonagall was ecstatic, her smile was larger than a kid's on Christmas morning. Kingsley seemed to be waiting to see what the second demand was going to be before providing a reaction.

"The second demand will be slightly more controversial. If Professor Dumbledore was here, he would have explained to me that I have witnessed darker magic than any seventeen year old should have had to. I can tell you he would have been correct. Because of the nature of our mission, I will require an unbreakable vow from anyone who wishes to hear the tale. I have requested Madam Pomfrey be one of these people so she can assess the after effects of the magic involved. The vow I require would be one in which any specific information about the magic involved could not be shared with others and will not be used personally. Also any magical artifacts mentioned will not be discussed with others nor will you pursue attaining the objects under any circumstance. These are our terms. Please feel free to add some of your own if you feel it is necessary."

"Are these terms truly necessary Mr. Potter? We both know that Professor McGonagall will welcome you back with open arms and gladly provide the training requested. Hermione is one of the best students Hogwarts has ever seen, so I am sure that we can extend her education farther than the average student. Your interest in wandlore has grabbed my attention, but I feel that after your rescue of Garrick Ollivander, he would be inclined to accept you as a student. This leaves the only real issue as the unbreakable vow. These are not to be used lightly. So I must ask again, is it truly necessary?" Kingsley finished his sentenced and just stared into Harry's eyes awaiting a response.

Without hesitation, Harry answered with a simple "I would swear an unbreakable vow that it is necessary. I am also willing to swear a similar oath to the one I am requiring from you. All three of us will." Once his answer was complete, Harry had to wait through the silence. Harry and Kingsley seemed to be locked in a staring contest.

Professor McGonagall was the first to answer "If you say it is necessary, I will make the vow. I have learned not to underestimate you and I will not do so this time. I will also accept your academic terms if Mr. Ollivander is willing accept you as an apprentice."

Madam Pomfrey was the next to respond "I look forward to working with you this next year Hermione. If this vow is truly necessary, you could gain some once in a lifetime healing experience. I will swear the vow, it isn't that different from patient and healer confidentiality."

Everyone waited on Kingsley. While the others had paved the way for Kingsley to agree, they all knew his was the final say. He sighed as he broke eye contact with Harry. "I will agree to your terms..." he stated, but then re-engaged in his and Harry's battle of wills with a stare that would make most people take a step backward, "but I do have some terms of my own. The first is that you will have to be seen working with the ministry. This will require an award ceremony as well as your attendance at multiple governmental meetings and affairs over the summer. The second is that any information you give will be as complete as you are able to properly recall. I will also want to use a pensive to witness and understand events at periodic times. You will need to be willing to provide the memory necessary for viewing. The final term is that you will need to let your grudge with the ministry die with this agreement. I am not my predecessors, but I am the minister. I will do everything in my power to serve as the minister the people deserve. I will protect our citizens and part of that duty will require me keeping some secrets, but I will never try to use you without your knowledge. Do we have an agreement Mr. Potter?"

Harry could tell by the continued use of his proper name that he had crossed the line with Kingsley, but he had achieved his goals and based on Kingsley's last sentiment the relationship could be rebuilt. "Because it is you Kingsley, I will accept your terms. I will try to put Fudge and Scrigeour's political maneuvering in the past. To start my new relationship with the ministry off on the right foot, I want you to give careful consideration to my last request after we sort through the events that lead us to this conversation. Let us begin."

Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Kingsley took the required oath and waited with bated breath for the story to begin. Harry's description started a cascade of information that covered nearly fifty five years of history starting with Voldemort's initial horcrux. Kingsley wanted to see the destruction of each horcrux and the trio happily obliged when able. This included Hurry's eye witness account of his own "destruction". The tension in the room during this particular moment was palpable. Hermione broke down in tears along with Professor McGonagall. Ron just turned a slight shade of chartreuse and didn't speak for five minutes or so. Kingsley took the moment to take a more accurate assessment of the wizard standing in front of him. The story continued until Voldemort was destroyed by the Elder wand.

"I understand the need for secrecy now, Mr. Potter. That was the darkest of magic and you are definitely in possession of some magical artifacts that many would kill to posses. Your pursuit to understand wandlore is also clearer. I apologize for my behavior earlier, but I think we both know you expected such a response. You may have spent too much time around Albus. I also want to formally commend you on your actions." Said and exhausted Kingsley.

Harry interrupted the minister again, "Not just my actions minister. Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Crabbe, & Voldemort himself all helped to ruin Lord Voldemort's immortality. Regalus Black had tried to fight back, so did his house elf Kreature based on Regalus' command. Dobby gave his life to protect us well. While Crabbe's intentions were not to do so, it could throw some chaos amongst the remaining Death Eaters to know Vincent Crabbe, with the support of Gregory Goyle, played a part in their master's destruction. There are of course countless others, but please focus on everyone's part, not just my own."

"Understood Harry. Now my curiosity is getting the better of me, what else would you request from the ministry?" inquired Kingsley.

"First, are there any other questions about recent events?" Harry looked around and everyone seemed to be satisfied. "Then if you could excuse the minister and me, we have some further matters to discuss."

Everyone knew that they had been dismissed and filed out of the room. Only Harry and Kingsley remained. "My final request may not be something you can help with Minister, but it is worth asking. Hermione is interested as well, so I speak for the both of us when I say that we would like to become Unspeakables."

"Harry, my boy, you do know those ranks are chosen for scholars and researchers. I understand Hermione's interest and I would guess she is already on their list of potential initiates. This is one area I cannot meddle in as Minister. That being said, I am confused since I thought you wanted to be an Auror."

"I do want to be an Auror, but can I not be both?" questioned Harry.

"You propose a curious question, often not asked by those going into the Auror ranks. In fact there is only one member of the Unspeakables allowed to be from a warrior background at any point in time. Prior to accepting my position, I had been approached to consider the role. Through discussion I found my future to be that of the Minister for Magic, and not that which they asked me to fill. The positions are mutually exclusive and are in fact the reason that Professor Dumbledore could never seek the role of Minister for Magic. While he was not an Auror, he was considered a fighter and the leader of the Order of the Phoenix which fulfilled the requirements of the position. You now know the extent of information that I have about the topic. I will get word to the Unspeakables that you are interested. If they have not filled the void they may approach you once you are out of school. I suggest you take care to focus on your classes and get the best marks you can if you want a chance at being chosen. You have the fighting background, prove your merit in education and learning. This is all I can do for you. Do not speak of the Auror limitation to anyone else, that is a closely guarded fact that few realize. Please relay to Hermione that she is likely among the initiates upon graduation, but I cannot guarantee it. That is the best I can do, Harry."

Harry expected such a response, and reached out to shake Kingsley's hand. "Thank you Kingsley, I appreciate it." Following their long day, and even longer debriefing both appeared to be drifting off. "It's getting late and we've both had a long day. I am going to bed, let me know if you have any other questions you need answered and I will be happy to fill in any remaining gaps." Harry said as he turned to walk back to his dormitory.

"Good night Harry! and thanks..." Kingsley said as Harry. As Harry turned the corner, Kingsley softly added "For everything" knowing Harry had been willing to give everything, even himself, to protect the world from a foe that was nearly immortal.


	5. New beginnings

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style. I also apologize for how I am going to retranslate a part of JK Rowling's work. It's the only way I could keep all of the books as cannon without having a set in stone future.

 **Chapter 5: New beginnings**

Harry woke up with a smile on his face. This is the second time since the battle that he had a dream about his future. The way Harry saw it, two out of three nights without headaches and having cheerful dreams proved that things were looking much better than the recent past. The dreams had been eerily similar; so much so that Harry considered this reoccurring dream his possible epilogue, his happily ever after, which he felt was well deserved after all he been through. While being head of the auror department and marrying Ginny could be in the cards for him, he liked to think he had more common sense than to name his child Albus Severus. It was too much of a mouthful, it would have to go. What mattered most to him was there was the possibility for a future that wasn't full of fear and death. He could have a life; he could have a family!

The possibilities gave him the energy to get out of bed. The sooner he got to breakfast the sooner he saw Ginny after all. Harry grabbed his glasses and a change of clothes and made his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower. As the hot water rained down and steam filled the air he felt rejuvenated. The shower helped wash away the last vestiges of doubt and despair. The world he knew had been reset and so had his outlook on life. As the final suds ran down the drain; Harry felt ready to take on the world. He got dressed and adopted a self-assured swagger as he proceeded to the great hall.

This new found confidence lasted until Harry heard Mrs. Weasley's voice rise above cacophony in the great hall. She had clearly found out about either Ginny or Ron's plan to not return to school. The scene Harry walked into clearly showed that Ron was Mrs. Weasley's target.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK TO SCHOOL? AND AFTER HOW YOU TREATED THE MINISTER LAST NIGHT YOU BETTER HAVE A DAMN GOOD EXPLANATION! YOU'RE IN REAL HOT WATER RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY!"

As Harry approached the table, he could see Ginny working up her courage. She saw Harry coming and looked him in the eyes. Her eyes quickly widened and then she nodded her head in her mother's direction. Harry knew she was gauging whether or not to bring up that she was leaving as well. With a simple nod he agreed that now would be a good time to let her plans be known as well.

"Mum!" Ginny yelled. It was hard to interrupt Mrs. Weasley once she got going. She was about as unstoppable as a runaway train. Ginny got the courage and yelled again, "MOTHER!" Harry was shocked with how loud and Mrs.-Weasley-like Ginny was able to be. As if hearing an equal, Mrs. Weasley was brought up short. "I'm not going back either." Ginny said under her breath.

Mrs. Weasley looked like she had just been hit by a bludger. She turned to Arthur for support, but he quelled the discussion for now with a simple "we'll discuss this when we get home" and continued to read the daily prophet as he finished his oatmeal and coffee.

Harry took a seat next to Ginny, grabbed her hand in a show of support, and quietly whispered in her ear; "That was the right call. Your mother now has to split her efforts. She can't put her all into being mad at either of you since there are two of you to be mad at." Ginny didn't look too comforted, but tried to put on a brave face.

"Anything in the news, Mr. Weasley?" inquired Harry politely.

"Just additional coverage of the war and residual fallout from the remaining death eaters. Aside from that it's the mundane codswallop they always print. Rumors here, twisted facts there. You know how it goes. Some people are still resistant to believe Voldemort is gone. Rita Skeeter has a column dedicated to misinformation on that front. Her informants range from scared children around campfire's thinking they saw him roaming the woods to family members of the injured swearing he's still living in the castle in the Chamber of Secrets. Next they will say he's living under their bed. It's pretty sad that Rita has to play off children's fears to write anything that could be of interest. The only other announcement was that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger would be returning to Hogwarts next year. As you can guess that lead to the question of why didn't the headline include Ron Weasley; hence our recent family discussion."

"I see, sir." Harry said, with a gulp. "And you said you'll have the discussion when you get home. Are you all leaving soon?"

"We'll be returning to the Burrow just after breakfast." chimed in Mrs. Weasley. "Harry dear, you're more than welcome to come stay with us for the summer. I know your Aunt and Uncle are no longer an option for you, but you're always welcome at our home."

"I appreciate it Mrs. Weasley! I'll probably be popping in and out to see Ginny and Ron all summer, but I have to get some things settled first. I am supposed to follow up with Madam Pomfrey in a couple of days and I want to try to get Grimmauld Place in a more habitable condition. If it's not possible, I may need to sell the place."

"Sell the place? Who would buy it with that portrait of that ghastly woman. You may have better luck burning it down with fiendfyre and collecting the insurance money from the muggles" Hermione added as she joined the group. Harry actually agreed with Hermione, that is, if his plan didn't work. He took this opportunity to load his plate full of bacon, bangers, and a few pastries.

"Good morning Hermione and I am so glad to see you will be continuing your education at Hogwarts next year. Don't you think Ron should join you and Harry? I am sure you two could talk him into going. You three have been together for seven years." Mrs. Weasley said trying to hide her frustration.

"Actually we have already talked about it. While it won't be the same without him at Hogwarts we will always support him, even in his decision not to return to school." Hermione said in a caring tone that had an undercurrent clearly stating this point was not up for debate.

"That's very nice of you. Harry won't be coming back to the Burrow with us this morning, will you be joining us? Like Harry, you are always welcome at the Burrow." Mrs. Weasley asked in a sweet voice that clearly didn't mirror how she felt at the moment.

"I've requested to study with Madam Pomfrey over the next school year. When she agreed she asked for me to stay the summer to prepare from the upcoming school year and to study some healing techniques. Headmistress McGonagall has allowed me to stay in the Head girl's quarters for the summer saying I will just be moving in a few months early." Hermione said trying to hide her excitement.

It took Ron a second to catch on, but he jumped up and gave his girlfriend a big hug and a quick kiss as he swung her in a circle in his arms. Yells of congratulations were mixed with gasps of surprise; as many people found out Ron and Hermione were dating. For once, Mrs. Weasley was speechless. George on the other hand made up for her silence with an excessive amount of cat calls and eyebrow waggling.

After the commotion died down Harry was able to return his attention to Ginny. She seemed a little jealous of all of the attention Ron and Hermione just received. On top of that, Harry could tell something was bothering her. "Penny for your thoughts?" inquired Harry.

"What?" asked Ginny confused.

"It's a muggle saying. It's a way of asking what the other person is thinking." explained Harry

"Oh, well I was just disappointed you wouldn't be coming to the Burrow. We just got back together and I don't know when I will see you again. Pretty soon you'll be back at school and I will be who knows where and I just want to spend as much time together as we can prior to the school year."

"Me too Gin, I will be there as much as I can but I have some things I have to take care of with the ministry, I have some planning for school, and I have my follow up with Madam Pomfrey. I want to get it all out of the way so I don't have to think about any of it over the summer. Plus, you will need to be training to get ready for tryouts and I am sure your family wants some time together as well."

"You'll be there this weekend though, won't you?" pleaded Ginny

"Of course, I wouldn't miss Fred's funeral. He was like a brother to me and I owe him at least that much. I'll probably get in Saturday night after dinner. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm sure mum will put you to work when you get there."

"She wouldn't be your mother if she didn't" said Harry with a smile.

Mrs. Weasley chimed in "I heard that, Harry dear. Ginny, make sure you have all of your things packed. If you have your way you won't be coming back, so please don't leave anything."

Harry grabbed the last piece of bacon off his plate as he followed Ginny back to the Gryffindor common room. He paused as he went to follow her up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Seven years of conditioning didn't fail to make him leery of climbing the steps. He knew the charms had been suspended to allow the families taking refuge in the castle to live together, but he still felt like he was doing something wrong. He mustered up his courage and started up the steps. They held their ground and he quickly caught up to Ginny as he entered a mirrored version of the boys' accommodations.

Packing her belongs brought a mix of emotions for Ginny. There was a piece of her that was hurrying. She was finally escaping her place of torment. The last year had crippled her memories of the Hogwarts she used to know. But the happy memories would break through as she picked up things that provided sentimental value. She packed up a necklace that she had worn to the Yule Ball during the Triwizard Tournament. Yes, it complimented her outfit, but the emerald in the middle also nearly matched the color of Harry's eyes. While she would have wanted to go with Harry, she had an amazing time with Neville. He surely liked to dance, it took all of her effort to get a few drink breaks in during the night. As she continued packing she came to some photos of Dumbledore's Army. This memory was a mix of emotions, it was full of rebellion, passion, and excitement. The whole group could feel the energy and momentum created by their illegal club. It, of course, ended with the satisfying humiliation of a certain pink, power-thirsty, pig of a woman. As thoughts of Umbridge took hold. she realized half her years at Hogwarts were less than positive experiences. She had been possessed by Voldemort, had to deal with Umbridge, and had Death Eaters running the school. The last year could go either way, it wasn't worth the torment and risk.

Harry just watched in silence from a nearby bed. He could tell Ginny was deep in thought, but he couldn't tell about what. He decided to see if she had picked up the muggle saying he tried to teach her earlier. As she walked by in a hurry, he reached out and pulled her into his lap and said, "Penny for your thoughts?"

Ginny whipped her head around quickly. "I can tell you that you just changed their direction completely. I was reminiscing, now I just want to..." with a few quick movements she suddenly pounced onto Harry pinning him down and kissing him. Harry and Ginny's interlude lasted several minutes before they heard some footsteps at the door. They separated as quickly as they could, but it was for naught.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes got large as she walked into the girls dorms. She found Ginny and Harry there, clearly a little out of breath, and Ginny's hair was in disarray. She would have said Harry's hair was in disarray as well, but you never could tell. "So I take it, Ron and Hermione are not the only ones dating." she said with a heartfelt smile.

"No ma'am" sputtered out Harry. "But I haven't had a chance to tell Ron yet."

"Your secrets safe with me dear. Well since you've been distracted, might as well speed up the process." Mrs. Weasley waved her wand and all of Ginny's belongings finished packing themselves away. "Ginny, we leave for home in ten minutes. I'll meet you in the courtyard after you say you goodbyes. And Harry, we look forward to seeing a lot of you this summer."

Both Harry and Ginny blushed as Mrs. Weasley winked and then left room.


	6. Business

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 6: Business**

It wasn't until after the Weasleys had left that it dawned on Harry and Hermione the trio's time together at Hogwarts had ended. Hermione turned to Harry and asked, "It's not going to be the same next year is it? Without him, I mean."

Harry put his arm around Hermione and simply said. "No, it's not." Hermione rested her head on Harry's shoulder and rhetorically asked, "I wonder who else won't be here next year." With no words of comfort ready, Harry simply held her and took the moment to contemplate their final year at Hogwarts.

Hermione suddenly broke the silence as she exclaimed; "Oh no, I was supposed to meet Madam Pomfrey ten minutes ago. See you for dinner this evening?" Harry nodded his confirmation as Hermione rushed out in a frenzy. As she disappeared from sight Harry found himself standing alone.

Harry went through a mental checklist of what he had to do today. He crossed off many of his long standing items such as "thwart Voldemort's plans" and "exact vengeance on enemies"; deciding to move on to items like "get apparition license", "go to the bank", "snog girlfriend", and "prepare for auror training". Since school didn't start for a few months and Ginny was at home; Harry opted to start with taking the apparition test followed a quick stop at the bank. Using the Marauder's map he set out to find Professor McGonagall to request the use of her floo to get to the Ministry.

As Harry dusted himself off, he was amazed at how quickly his public persona could turn. Upon entering the ministry everyone was going out of their way to shake his hand and help him when needed. Overall this slowed him down but he took his time since he knew the public needed time to recover. He stopped at the security desk to have his wand tested and proceeded to the lifts to go to level six, The Department of Magical Transportation.

When he stepped off the elevator, Harry could see the floor was divided into four sections, the Floo Network Authority, the Broom Regulatory Control, the Portkey Office, and the Apparition Test Center. The Floo Network had a sooty feel to it, as if just walking by it would get you dirty and cause a cloud of black dust to swirl behind you. He did note that the floo system would be down tomorrow for its semi-annual chimney sweep. The Broom Regulatory Control seemed to be rather subdued aside from a gentleman with windswept hair pacing back and forth. There seemed to be a slight shimmer in his hand like he was carrying an invisible brief case. This man seemed to perk up as he saw Harry. The man sauntered over an introduced himself as Demetri Poletmetla.

"Mr. Potter, depending how business goes today with regulatory control I was wondering if I may be able to meet with you to discuss some matters of importance? I promise you it will be worth your time."

Harry was unsure how to best proceed. He was sure more and more people might approach him to be a spokesman but Harry had no idea how to handle such things. On top of that, Harry was very sure that he did not want any more publicity or to make money off the deaths of all of the casualties of the war. "If you have a card I can get back to you, but what's the big deal about today?"

"I'm starting my own custom broomstick company and I am hoping to get final approval for sales today! Each broom is designed specifically for the rider's needs instead of mass produced. On top of that I have found a way to increase steering control and speed compared to other companies. Here's my card, have your solicitor get in contact with me if you're interested. It appears it is time for my appointment. Good day to you, Mr. Potter" with that Demetri left in a whirlwind of cloaks and scarves at a quick but measured pace into the Broom Regulatory Control Office.

Harry looked at the card and in simple print at the top it had Demetri's name followed by the company's slogan "Why ride a broom when you can ride a Dragon?" Just below the slogan was a wizard picture. It showed a person riding a broom over the tree tops. Quickly gaining grown was a dragon who breathed fire at the rider; catching the tail end of the broom with the flames and turning it to smoldering embers. The dragon easily passed the rider and morphed into a man riding a broom. In the wake of the rider you could clearly make up the company's name and mission. "Dragon Brooms: Custom rides to meet riding customer's needs." Harry pocketed the card and continued on his way.

As he passed the Portkey Office, he noticed there was a small line of people waiting. They were perusing brochures about tropical getaways and safari adventures. By the looks of it each was waiting to attain an international portkey. Harry made a mental note to go on a holiday after he graduated. He would have to consult with Ginny.

Finally, he came to the Apparition Test Center. It was a rather plain area with about twenty dingy seats scattered about the place. He noticed a sign that said please take a number. Harry pulled a ticket and received the number 6.022 x 1023. He was taken aback as he looked at the ticket, surely there couldn't have been this many tickets already given, could there? In answer to his question a voice came over the speak. "I can now help ticket number 3.1415926... bloody hell this number goes on forever. To simplify the process I can now help the person who pulled the ticket with pi on it. Not the food, the number." A few people had perked up at the mention of pie, but were disappointed when they realized there would be no baked goods and it was still not their turn.

Harry didn't have a good idea of how long he would be waiting so he decided to take a seat. While the waiting room did contain a multitude of seats, they were nothing like what you would find in the muggle world. Harry chose an over-sized red arm chair that reclined. He noted that a Hufflepuff he recognized from school had selected a unicycle that seemed to maintain its own balance and stay relatively in place. Harry thought this was a poor choice if the waiting was going to be awhile.

It took about an hour before Harry's number was called and another fifteen minutes for him to complete his test. It was 90% practical and 10% discussion about emergency procedures in case of splinching. Harry passed the test and received authorization to apparate.

Upon exiting the ministry, Harry apparated to Diagon Alley. He arrived and immediately noticed there was a significant increase in the number of witches and wizards shopping compared to the last time he was here. It seemed as if after hiding from Voldemort for so long everyone was restless and looking to blow off some steam. Children were running down the street unsupervised with ice cream from Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. It was like he remembered from his first visit, for the most part. It was Diagon Alley at its best and the addition of the Weasleys' Wizard Weezes only added to the atmosphere.

Harry started towards the bank but made a few stops along the way. He went into Flourish and Blotts to get some reading for over the summer. The first book that peaked his interest was titled _Wards: The Silent Sentinel_ by Nigel Gates. Harry figured if he was going to clean up Grimmauld Place, he would need to secure it afterward. He also decided to get a jump start for auror training by purchasing _Magical Remnants_ which focused on using deductive reasoning and residual magic to drive investigations. Harry also knew that he couldn't tell Hermione he went to the book store without bring her home some reading as well, so he bought her _Rememdium Compendium_. It claimed to be the one stop reference for all known healing potions so Harry figured it would be a good reference for her.

Harry continued on his errands and arrived at Ollivander's. He entered the store and could tell that Mr. Ollivander had already done a significant amount of clean up. The mountains of wands in the store were segregated into a few neat piles. Harry suspected Ollivander had a wand classification system that dictated which wands went where, but he had no idea what the system was. Mr. Ollivander came to check who had entered, he greet Harry with a smile. "Mr. Potter, you have an 11" holly wand with a phoenix feather core last I checked... or is it a wand made of elder wood you prefer now?"

"I prefer my original wand, after all the wand chooses the wizard... or at least that is what I have been told." Harry said back to Mr. Ollivander as he gave him crooked smile.

"Correct you are Mr. Potter. And what can I do for you today?"

"Has professor McGonagall contacted you yet?" inquired Harry.

Mr. Ollivander looked at Harry as if trying to figure out a puzzle and replied "No, I don't believe she has. Should I be expecting an owl?"

"Yes sir, but I am glad that I was able to get here first. I was planning on returning to Hogwarts this coming year and requested the opportunity to understand wandlore by taking an elective with you. That is, if you are willing to teach me." Harry half said, half asked.

"It is not that simple Mr. Potter. Not all wizards have the aptitude for the craft. It requires a good bit of magical strength and control. While I cannot commit to teaching you, I can commit to testing your ability. I need to finish getting my shop in order, let's say we meet in two weeks time?"

"That would be great, should I come to the store?" Harry asked as a follow up question.

"Let us meet near the entrance to the forbidden forest at dusk. The test will require us to be near magical trees, and I believe that is the forest you know best. Good day until then Mr. Potter." Mr. Ollivander said to end the conversation.

As he left Ollivander's Harry grabbed a bite to eat from the Leaky Cauldron and then proceeded to Gringotts. As he approached one of the goblins at the far end of the bank, Harry could tell something was off. He ran through possible escape routes in his head, not wanting to be cornered and proceeded cautiously. The words "constant vigilance" echoed in his mind.

"Mr. Potter, we've been expecting you. I have been asked to accompany you to one of our private suites. There are some matters that will need to be attended to."

Harry followed closely behind his guide, but remained on edge. He was taken through a winding path carved from stone. He could tell the ground was sloping downward, and after about ten minutes of walking the goblin stopped. If he had to guess, Harry would have said he was five stories below street level at this point. His guide performed a complex charm to unlock the door and then he held it open for Harry to enter. "Chairman Ripam awaits your arrival."

He entered the room to find the largest goblin he had ever seen. The Chairman was at least one and a half times the size of every other goblin in terms of height and weight. He had a countenance about him that spoke of wealth and power. Harry could tell by his stature that this was man was very important to the goblin nation.

"Ah, Mr. Potter it is nice to finally meet you. We have a number of matters to discuss, but let us start with the one that seems to be concerning you right now. There have been exactly two successful attempts to gain access to vaults by unauthorized patrons since Gringotts opened. The first was unsuccessful and the perpetrator has been dispatched by your hand in your first year of school. The second was the only successful robbery from Gringotts in history. While you and I both know the individuals involved in that mission, it would be an embarrassment to the establishment to admit such an event. Following an investigation it was determined that an extremely dark artifact was removed from the Lestrange vault that day, but the exact nature of the artifact is unknown. As you have defeated the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort, I will assume it was essential to your goal to take the actions that you did. We will probe no further into that specific event, but be aware of the extensive damage and cost associated with that event. To these ends, if any similar activity can be tied to you in the future you will be labeled as an enemy to the goblin nation, and any and all assets deposited in Gringotts will become forfeit. Do I make myself clear Mr. Potter?"

Harry shrunk in his chair. "Yes, Sir."

After Harry agreed, the Chairman smiled at Harry and the atmosphere in the room changed completely. What had looked like a police interrogation room changed before his eyes. The flat metal chair transformed into an over-sized leather recliner. The metal desk seemed to dissolve into one of the most lavish wooden desks Harry had ever seen. The room now had a plush red rug and was no longer brightly lit with fluorescent lights, but had a roaring fireplace and just the right amount of ambient light to be relaxing. "With the nasty business out of the way, please take a seat." Harry sat down in the recliner and reduced his suspicion to the bare minimum. "There are three matters I wish to discuss with you now that you have reached your age of majority. These matters have been pending your arrival since your last birthday, but you have been hard to find as of late. First I will need proof of you magical signature Mr. Potter. Please take hold of your wand and place the tip on this parchment. When you are ready please then say the incantation, 'Temet nosce'."

Harry did as requested. At first nothing happened, but then words began to flood onto the parchment. The writing seemed to progress backwards from the tip of his wand. As the words began to settle Harry tried to make sense of what was in front of him. It had names and titles all over the paper. As Harry started looking closer to his wand, he saw his parents names, and then his own. He started to read his own name and noticed a few lines underneath. He only had time to read the words "Potter Family Patriarch" and "Black Family Regent" before the parchment was taken by the Chairman. "Thank you Mr. Potter, your identity is indeed confirmed."

"Chairman Ripam, what was that paper? Was that my family tree? May I look at it more closely?"

"Please Mr. Potter, call me Ripam. You are indeed correct, but no you may not have the parchment. It has goblin enchantments on it and it must be kept as record. As to seeing it, I cannot allow that. It contains sensitive information about all of your relatives which was never meant to be shared."

"What will happen if I perform the spell outside of Gringotts? And please Sir... I mean Ripam, please call me Harry."

"The spell will still provide you with your family tree, the sensitive information will just be removed. Now onto business. As heir to James and Lilly Potter, you have received their monetary assets to date. Per ministry law, no minor shall gain possession of magical artifacts until they reach the age of majority. As you are now of age I present you with access to vault 686. It is adjacent to your other vault containing the money your parents left you. Also heir to Sirius Black and having reached your majority, I also present you with access to vault 711. As the owner of three separate vaults, Gringotts would like to request permission to consolidate your accounts at this time. What say you Harry Potter?"

"That sounds good to me, I don't want to remember where multiple keys are. I do have a request though. Can you separate the Black possessions from the Potter possessions? I want to know what has been passed down through my family."

"That can be arranged. With your consent all possessions are being moved to vault 711. This is a high security vault and is the largest of the three. All future transactions at Gringotts will be to this account. Please sign the document and initial by the vault numbers in question."

Harry took the quill offered to him and did as he was asked. Once signed the document disappeared in a puff of smoke to be carried out by the goblins.

"The final piece of business has to do with the last will and testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. Multiple contingencies had been put in place pending the outcome of the war. With the proper pre-requisites fulfilled all other contingencies are pronounced null and void. The remaining contractual agreement states that Harry Potter is to be presented the following letter pending the death of the self proclaimed Dark Lord Voldemort if he returns to Hogwarts." With that, Ripam presented Harry with a letter sealed with wax. "Albus always spoke highly of you, he would be glad to know the contingency plans were not necessary. His hope was that they wouldn't, but he was ever the planner. Still, I am sure he would rest easier knowing you made it through everything and are returning to school, he placed all of his hope in you."

Harry's eyes welled up at the mention of his lost mentor and tried his best to avert his eyes. As he worked to regain his composure, Ripam did his best to act casually. "Is there anything else I can do for you today, Mr. Potter?"

"There is one thing. I find myself in need of a solicitor. Can you recommend one?" inquired Harry.

"I can recommend many, but tell me what you are looking for first."

"I want someone that is honest and loyal. Someone that I can trust. I suppose I would like someone who is a Hufflepuff at heart." stated Harry.

"It sounds like you want someone who won't be what most people would classify as a good solicitor. Honesty is a hard trait to come by in the field. I know of man that has struggled. Not because he does not know his stuff, but because he wasn't willing to engage in nefarious activities. I will have someone bring you Atticus Abbott's card. I think he's the man for the job. If that is all Mr. Potter, I bid you good health and good day." Knowing he was dismissed, Harry shook Ripam's hand and walked towards the door.

When he exited the room he found his guide from earlier standing there. Without a word the goblin set off towards the lobby with Harry in tow. Harry checked his watch and realized the afternoon had flown by. While he wondered what was in the letter, it would have to wait until this evening. He had to meet Hermione for dinner, and discuss the removal of a certain portrait. He reached the main lobby and was handed a business card as promised. Harry thanked the goblin, proceeded to the bank's exit. Once he was beyond the banks' wards, he apparated back to Hogwarts.


	7. A return to normalcy

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 7: A Return to Normalcy**

As Harry entered the Great Hall he noticed only one table had been set. All that remained were a few families of the injured, the staff, Hermione, and himself. As he approached the table he was cut off by Professor McGonagall. "Mister Potter, may I have a word?"

"Of course, is everything ok Professor?" asked Harry surprised and slightly nervous after what he had pulled the night before.

"I believe so, but I do have an opportunity that I would like to discuss. My understanding is that your Aunt and Uncle no longer live at Privet Drive. I know that you have the money and property left to you by your parents and your Godfather, but I wanted to offer up Hogwarts for your use this summer. While I would have had a predicament if Mr. Weasley was coming back to school, I find my decision for the next Head Boy remarkably easy. If you wish to move into your accommodations early you may. I believe Mrs. Granger can give you directions and the password."

Harry noticed that she tried to hide her smile, but he could not show the same restraint. Harry let out a "Thank you Professor" as he gave her a brief hug and hurried off to tell Hermione. Professor McGonagall was a little befuddled by the situation, but at that moment was left with feelings reminiscent of a proud, but embarrassed, parent.

Harry didn't have to say anything, Hermione already knew what had happened. She had a big smile on her face and went into a discussion about how rare it was that a non-Prefect would be the Head Boy and that he was probably the first since his father, and one of a handful ever. Harry had deja vu. This scenario reminded him of his discussion with Ron when he accepted the position of seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Hermione's discussion also triggered a more important thought. He didn't know all that was required of the Head Boy. He wasn't even a Prefect, what would the Head Boy do on top of the other responsibilities? He decided to tuck in to dinner and tap into the unending database of information that was Hermione Granger. "So what responsibilities do the Head Boy and Head Girl have?" probed Harry.

"The Head Boy and Girl are responsible for coordinating the Prefects and serve as the team that resolves disputes between students as well as Prefects. As you can imagine, there have been Prefects that abuse their powers and create a war of sorts. These wars often involve points being taken indiscriminately from students, unfair detentions awarded, etc. We will serve as the primary arbitrators between the groups and if necessary recommend disciplinary action or removal of Prefects. Prefects cannot take points from each other, but the Heads can take points from Prefects when necessary. The main part of the job is coordination of curfew rounding as well as rounding on the Hogwarts Express." Hermione rattled off.

"I see" said Harry "If I'm guessing right, you've had a plan to improve the process since our fifth year. Shall I assume you're on that aspect of our responsibility?" Hermione nodded her head excitedly. "Is there anything else I need to be aware of?"

"As Head Boy and Head Girl we will be granted access to all of the common rooms in case of emergency. On top of that, we will have our own suites that are located on the 6th floor through the suit of armor that is missing its helmet. My best estimate is that it is sandwiched between the Room of Requirement on the 7th floor and the Prefects bathroom on the 5th floor. There is a hidden stairwell from our common room directly to the Prefects bathroom for convenience. We also have unrestricted access to the library and no curfew."

"I can guess which part of that list excites you the most. Was Madam Pince happy to hear the news?" Harry asked sarcastically.

"And I am sure all of the teachers will rest easy knowing they don't have to be on the lookout for Harry Potter out of bed after curfew this year." jibed Hermione back.

Friendly banter continued throughout dinner as Hermione described her first day of training to Harry. It was largely a discussion about professionalism and patient confidentiality. It all sounded rather mundane to him, but he kept nodding his head at the right times and would ask questions the few times something peaked his interest.

As dinner was wrapping up, Hermione led the way to their new accommodations. As they approached the suit of armor Hermione looked at Harry expectantly. Harry realized he didn't know the password. "Hermione, are you going to tell me the password, or do I need to duel the suit of armor to get past?"

Hermione was waiting for that reply. Harry could be so predictable at times. "Why don't you take a guess. It will be like twenty questions from primary school. I will tell you if you are hot or cold."

"Is it Won Won?" asked Harry while sticking his tongue out at Hermione.

Hermione looked taken aback. "That was a pretty close in many ways, but not quite there. One question down."

"I was only joking, but I am assuming it has to do with Ron?" asked Harry.

"Kind of, and that is question is number two." stated Hermione.

"What does that even mean? Kind of... Does it in some way describe Ron?" asked Harry.

"No. Down three now" replied Hermione.

"Does it have to do with an experience we've had with Ron?" shot back Harry.

"Yes! and you have sixteen questions left" said an excited Hermione.

"Is it a happy memory?" inquired Harry.

"Not at all. Fifteen to go." said Hermione shortly.

"Does it have to do with Lavender?" asked Harry cautiously.

"Yes. Fourteen more." said Hermione.

"Is it one of the other horrendous nicknames she gave him?" Harry said with a sickened face.

"Definitely not. Thirteen." Hermione replied.

"Does it have to do with the combination of spells you used to attack him?" Harry asked as he recalled the events in his mind.

Hermione smiled and wrapped up the discussion. "You got it on the nose, I'm surprised you got it so fast. I guess we have spent the last twelve months together though, and most of the last seven years. Bonus points if you know both spells. Put them in the right order and the statue should move."

Harry tried to reach back in his memory. He knew that _Oppugno_ is the spell that sent the birds flying at Ron, but he wasn't much into conjuring pointless things. Usually conjuring required a word that connected to that which was being conjured, in this case birds. He tried to think of words associated with birds and only came up with aviary. He decided to go for it. " _Aviary Oppugno_!" Harry proclaimed. He waited a second and when nothing happened, he turned to Hermione and shrugged his shoulders.

"Close! But passwords, like spells, have to be exact. _Avis Oppugno._ " Hermione said as she went into teaching mode briefly. The suit of armor side stepped out of the way and Harry and Hermione entered a small, but cozy, common room.

"Why pick a negative memory for the password?" question Harry.

"Originally I was the only one in here. It was to remind me where I've been and how far I've come. Back then I was pining for someone who was dating someone else. On top of that, the threats seemed to be mounting against us on all fronts. Since then we beat the odds and not only survived, but I started dating Ron. So while that specific memory isn't pleasant, it reminds me of what I have now and that I don't have to be jealous anymore... we won!"

"I can't imagine anyone will guess it either." interjected Harry. He started to analyze his surroundings and noticed the decent sized book shelf was already filled beyond capacity with Hermione's books. It had a small fireplace that he surmised was connected to the floo network based on the small container of floo powder on the mantel. Surrounding the fireplace was a couch and two recliners. He continued to his quarters to find all of his belongs were already moved into place by the house elves. As he thought about his quarters he laughed to himself. "Hey Hermione!" He called back to the common room. "Since this is the Head Boy and Head Girl's quarters, do you think we can just call it Headquarters?!" Harry said excitedly.

Hermione let out an audible groan at the bad pun, but decided the logic and ease of the name had some merits. "That's fine, and while I can tell you are proud of yourself, I am sure you are not the first to call it that."

As Harry came back into the common area he realized he hadn't given Hermione the book he'd picked up for her. "It's too bad that bookshelf is full, I had picked up this book for you in Diagon Alley." Harry said with a fake air of disappointment.

Hermione hurried over and hefted the book from Harry's hand and immediately started flipping through the pages. "Thank you Harry, that was very thoughtful! Madam Pomfrey had given me some outdated books to use today that had the most commonly used potions, but I can return those to her now since this is an exhaustive reference on healing potions!"

"I picked up some light reading myself. You can borrow them if you want, but I know you'll have your hands full with healing materials for the summer. I stopped by Ollivander's to see about learning from him. There is some test I will have to pass in order to learn he said. I have to meet him in a couple of weeks to take it. I did pass one test today though! I am licensed to apparate!" Harry said with a smile.

Harry was waiting for congratulations that never came. "Harry Potter! You were under strict direction to not use magic for three days! You could have hurt yourself. As one of your healers I am very disappointed in you."

Harry was taken aback by the response but realized his error. "I also used magic at the bank. Some sort of family tree spell to verify my identity... I wasn't thinking about Madam Pomfrey's restrictions, I felt so normal it didn't even occur to me."

"You went to Gringotts? Did they know it was us who broke in?" asked Hermione sheepishly. She held her breath as she waited for his response. She realized she was likely to experience the same treatment Harry did the next time she went in.

"Yes, but I received a combination of a thank you and a warning to never let it happen again. And also to never tell anyone that it happened. Gringotts thinks it would be bad for public relations if the word got out that a few teenagers broke into the highest security vaults they have. Aside from that the trip was fairly uneventful. Now that I am seventeen I received the rest of my inheritance from my parents and from Sirius. They were combined into one vault. I also received a letter from Dumbledore. I haven't opened it yet; it makes me nervous. I feel free for the first time in my life, and I just have a bad feeling about what's inside. What if it's more unfinished business something along the lines of 'Surprise Harry, there is another horcrux!' What do you think Hermione?"

"I think it's useless to wonder. It's kind of like Schrödinger's Cat. While it could be an interesting exercise to debate, it's also a waste of time. Why not open it now?"

As Harry open the letter his pulse began to race. His eyes darted back and forth quickly taking in the information.

 _Dearest Harry,_

 _I fear you have faced an unparalleled evil the likes of which have not been known in over a millennia. Some may argue the case for Grindewald but while he caused great devastation, his propensity to hate, inflict pain, and poison the minds of his followers was half that of Tom's. Tom's fear of death drove him to greater levels of power, and in turn, greater depths of isolation and evil. I placed you against impossible odds and I am proud that you have risen to the occasion. While you have the financial means to ignore the world's cry for help and isolate yourself from the wizards that have demeaned you and required nothing short of your life; you have chosen to humbly return to school and complete your education in order to better serve. I warn you that the public will turn on you, they are fickle. They will love you, hate you, love to hate you, and hate to love you depending on their mood. I would encourage you to not depend on the fame you have achieved, but on your friends and family. Always remember to keep learning and loving. What is life without love? And what is love without the desire to attain greater understanding and appreciation of that which you love? The mark of a great wizard is not what he has accomplished, but that he keeps searching for ways to accomplish more._

 _Enough of the lessons though. I have taught you all that I can. I have included a map and directions to one last gift. Save it for a time when you feel isolated and alone, follow this map and you will find a friendly face and willing ear._

 _I unfortunately leave you with bad news and must ask something of you once more. Since I was not there at the end, I will make the assumption we were correct about the objects that were horcruxes. It is a logical assumption, but if false will nullify that which I ask of you. Hogwarts is dying Harry. Its magic is rooted in its history and its primary magical anchors have been destroyed. The school has been hurt since before my time as headmaster. The sword of Gryffindor, while seemingly a beautiful relic, has not been whole for many years. The castle's magic was strong enough with three anchors to limp on, but only just. Your mission to eliminate Tom as a threat, has started the clock ticking towards a future without Hogwarts. I do not know of how to restore the four relics of the founders, but if it is not done, the castle has a matter of years before all of its magic is bled dry. Study hard during your last year Harry, but if you can, find a way to reconnect Hogwarts to its history. You have saved our world, but I must now ask you to save our school. Save Hogwarts._

 _P.S. If you are successful it might be worthwhile to have Ms. Granger look into the research of Berta Christman. She may find it interesting._

 _Forever in Your Debt,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Harry was speechless as he was left once again to do the impossible. After saying a few choice words, he turned to Hermione "I'm going to need your help with a problem. Well... make that two problems."

"I'm always up for a good challenge. What do we have to do now?" stated Hermione.

"The first thing is finishing a discussion we had while hunting. I think I know how we can dismantle the portrait of Sirius' mother and I want to run the logistics by you. The second is that we have to save Hogwarts, again. This time by fixing the relics we spent a year trying to destroy. Shouldn't be too hard, right?" Harry replied with sarcastic tone in his voice.

"If we didn't have to save the school each year, I don't know what I would do with all of my free time anyway. What do you think all of the other students do all year?" Hermione said half jokingly.

"Get enough sleep, snog each other senseless, and talk about us" Harry replied, also half joking.


	8. Greetings and solicitations

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 8: Greetings and Solicitations**

Harry and Hermione had analyzed Dumbledore's letter and the merits of possible solutions well into the night. They also discussed Harry's plan for Grimmauld Place, but in light of the magic sustaining Hogwarts failing, disposing of the old bat took a lower priority. Before going to bed Hermione did make Harry promise not to try anything until Madam Pomfrey gave him clearance to use magic and he obliged.

Though he couldn't do magic, Harry was determined to make the most out of his day. In the morning, he made his way to owlery to send a message to Atticus Abbott. Since school was out, there were many owls ready and willing to carry his letter. They all seemed excited for the potential exercise and Harry selected a smaller brown owl that was nearly hoping from leg to leg in anticipation. He tied the message to the bird's leg and off it went. As he watched the bird soar off into the distance, it reminded him that he never did have time to mourn for Hedwig properly. She had been a constant companion since he came to Hogwarts, and he was reluctant to try to fill her place in his life. While he would need to find another owl sooner or later, he could get by using school owls for the year.

Once he returned to his room, he decided that he would start into his book on wards. He got about two chapters in before he decided to break for lunch. He was enjoying a nice cornish pasty and chips when he saw an owl approaching. He hadn't expected a reply so soon, but he untied the message. Atticus had a fairly free afternoon and recommended that Harry floo to 'the office of Abbott and Finch' around three o'clock. Harry checked the time and realized he had a few hours until his meeting. He didn't know the first thing about the meeting he was going to, but decided it was too short of notice to do much about. He did know that he would be considered a high profile customer so while he would apologize to Mr. Abbott for his ignorance, he didn't need to. He was pretty sure he was going to need some guidance as well as legal counsel.

At the designated time, Harry took the floo from Headquarters to the office of Abbott and Finch. He still had not gotten used to the twirling feeling with the abrupt halt that was floo travel. While he didn't fall on his backside anymore, he would always prefer apparition or broom travel. As he dusted himself off, he looked around the office he was standing in. He saw the receptionist's desk ahead and an overall plain, but comfortable, waiting area. Harry felt at home in the office and not nearly as overwhelmed as he thought. He was worried that the office would be overly decadent, but overall it felt homier. Harry approached the receptionist and was surprised to see one of his classmates. Hannah must have been released by the healers. Harry hadn't made the connection, but as he thought about it Hannah did have the same last name as the solicitor he was going to see. Magical Britain was not so large that there were an overwhelming number of Abbotts, but it wasn't an uncommon last name either. "How are you recovering, Hannah?" chimed in Harry.

"I am well, Mr. Potter. Thank you for asking." Hannah said while overly emphasizing the word mister with a wink and a smile. "My father reminded me just this morning that all clients deserve equal respect and privacy. Now I know why we had the discussion."

With a crooked smile and fake haughty tone Harry replied "I am sure, at the client's request, that all can be set aside. So please Ms. Abbott, call me Harry." As he continued their conversation, he switched from joking to a more concerned and sincere voice. "Honestly Hannah, how are you doing? I saw you in the hospital wing, that was a nasty cut."

"There is not much left I can do except continue with the bandages they give me at St. Mungos. They are covered in some sort of combination of magical herbs, but I am sure Neville could go into why each herb was chosen. He's so good with plants. Sometimes I wonder why he was placed in Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff... He doesn't even have the courage to ask a girl out. What's the point of being in Gryffindor if you can't do that?" Hannah asked rhetorically with obvious frustration.

"To be fair, I'm with Neville on this one. You can give me trolls, dementors, Death Eaters, and Voldemort all you want. Girls are much more terrifying. It about killed Ron and me to find dates to the Yule Ball during our fourth year. Ron even had a nervous breakdown and screamed as he asked Fleur to the dance." Harry said in defense of his friend.

"Oh, I remember that quite well. It was terrifying for Ron as well as the rest of the school. His dress robes were equally dreadful if I remember correctly." Hannah let out with a giggle.

The conversation quickly ended as a wizard in his mid-forties came out of a side door. The man was of average build. He had sterling gray hair and gold framed glasses that rode low on his nose. His ice blue eyes had a look that hinted to a jaded past, but he had a smile that proclaimed a hope for the future. Harry could sense the honesty and sincerity as he was greeted with a firm handshake. "My name's Atticus, Mr. Potter. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I see you've met my daughter Hannah."

"Pleasure to meet you Sir. Please... call me Harry."

"Please step into my office Harry. We can discuss how I may be of service to you." Atticus stated as he guided Harry towards an office containing many books and scrolls.

As Harry entered he could see that one half of the office was meticulous, containing Atticus' desk and comfortable seating for clients. Atticus' law degrees were framed on wall next to the desk. It peaked Harry's interest that Atticus had graduated from muggle law school as well as magical. The other half of the room was full of book shelves and a large table. It was reminiscent of studying with Hermione in the library. Assorted books were strewn this way and that around a bare bit of parchment with a dictation quill. There were some scrolls in the mix as well, but Harry guessed these contained older references that had not been translated into text. Harry was pleased to see that Atticus must be hands on with his work and did not leave it all to the office staff.

"So Harry, what brings you to my office today?" inquired Atticus as he stared down at Harry with steepled fingers.

"Mr. Abbott, I am not so sure of myself to know of all of the ways you can be of assistance, but I do know at least one for the moment. I have been approached by a new broom company to be a spokesman. While this may be a small matter, I am going to assume this will not be the last of such requests. I need someone who can manage these contracts. Ultimately, I would like to use my influence and connections to make a difference in the world and maybe create some charitable organizations. To do so I will need someone to make sure any organizations I start meet the legal requirements. In short, I am looking for someone whom I can trust to facilitate all of my business dealings. In the process I never want someone to feel cheated by me and I want all deals conducted honestly. I need to find someone who will never forsake morality for personal gain and when I asked Chairman Ripam who he would recommend, he sent me to you."

"I think the work with this broom company will be a good test of this arrangement. As far as your concerns, some would argue that I have been honest to a fault in my past. It has cost me not only money, but clients and business partners as well. Many of which I knew for a number of years and had considered my friends. Each thought I would bend the rules just for them on one specific occasion, and each was sorely mistaken. Each had been happy with my services until I was unwilling to compromise my morals. I say this to assure you that I value integrity as well, and will expect you to understand under no circumstances will you be the exception either." As he was speaking, Atticus shuffled through a file cabinet in his desk. He pulled out a pile of paper and continued his explanation. "My partner and I have a standard contract we require of all our clients. Its general intent is to explicitly state that we are the point people for all contractual negotiations for you, and that we are empowered to facilitate business dealings on your behalf. It also outlines our fees and defines some boundaries for our arrangement."

"I appreciate your candor Atticus. May I ask you to explain what your partner will be doing in this arrangement? Also can I meet him or her?"

"My partner, Henry Finch, is a business manager. His responsibility is to evaluate contracts to determine which would be the best to act on. He is relatively new to the magical world, but has done well in the muggle markets. I can vouch for Henry's character. You probably know his son Justin; he goes to school with you and Hannah. Their family has been hiding abroad for the last year, but should be back in the next week thanks to you. You will want to meet with him to give him a vision of the types of opportunities you would like to consider and how much involvement you want in the process."

"I think I get it. As a team Henry will be in charge of evaluating and presenting business deals that align with my goals, and you will handle negotiations and contract management. Is that correct?" clarified Harry.

"You are right indeed. I am assuming you would like some time to evaluate the language the contract contains. You are welcome to take it home and return it in person or via owl at your convenience. Or if you prefer we have a conference room you can use if you want to review the contract before you leave. This would allow me to answer any questions you may have in person. I could have Hannah bring you some tea if you would like as well. Before you leave we will arrange a meeting between you and Henry to help assuage your concerns."

"That would be great Atticus. I think I would prefer to review the contract before I leave so we can settle the matter." Harry was lead to a small room down the hall. It contained a table that would accommodate around eight people. Harry took the seat opposite of the door, it was a habit he had picked up while he was on the run. It's harder to surprise you if you're facing the entrance. As he was reading Hannah brought him some tea and would check on him occasionally to refill his cup. He took his time and looked for any clauses in the document that seemed out of place, but as far as he could tell it all seemed to be written into the contract for mutually beneficial reasons. He looked at the fees as well, but he had no comparison to evaluate them against. All in all it seemed above repute, but then again he never studied law. Though he was not confident in his cursory review of the contract, Harry prided his ability to assess people's character and he found no warning signs with Atticus. Atticus had been recommended to him by the Chairman of Gringotts and since Henry came as part of the deal, the Chairman had been indirectly recommending Henry as well. Harry made up his mind, finished his tea, and then went to find Hannah. "I've read everything, do I need a witness when I sign the contact?"

Hannah chuckled a little as she answered. "I forget that you were raised by muggles. What you're signing is a magical contact. Witnesses are needed for muggle contracts, but in the magical world your magic will serve as a binding witness to this document until you or father invoke one of the clauses to rescind the contract."

As she finished her explanation, Harry signed the document. As he set the quill down, a tapping came from the window. Hannah opened the window to find no less than seven owls waiting there. Each in turn held out its leg for Hannah to remove their packages. Hannah's eyes widened and brought the seven documents to her father and ushered Harry back into her father's office.

"Harry, my boy. I didn't expect you to sign the contract so soon. You haven't even met Henry yet." Atticus exclaimed.

"It didn't seem like a big deal. The language used in the clauses to break the contract are very flexible, so if Henry and I are not a good match we can terminate the relationship at that time. I do not anticipate that being necessary though and I would prefer to get started sooner than later." stated Harry.

"If this is how quick you make decisions this should be an interesting partnership. First though, am I right to assume you've been off the grid for a while?" inquired Atticus.

"You could say that. I have been on the run for the last year with concealment charms constantly surrounding me. That was until Voldemort was defeated. I haven't been in hiding for a few days though. Why do you ask?"

"And since then you have been staying at Hogwarts. That makes sense." Atticus said almost to himself. "Why I ask is because I have seven documents that were delivered immediately upon you signature of our contact. Since 'Atticus and Finch' is now the magical proxy for all of your contract negotiations the owls delivered these documents here. What is unsettling is that these seven owls must have been in the area. My guess is that the majority of the owls are around Hogwarts, but unable to get past wards put into place to protect the students' mail. That probably means I will have a steady stream of contracts for you for the next several days. If the trend continues, over half will be for marriage contacts!" Atticus stated with a smile on his face.

Harry immediately went white as a ghost. "You have my permission to decline all of those, sir. The rest I will leave for Henry to review until I am able to meet with him. In the mean time can you look into a deal with Dragon Brooms?" Harry handed Demetri's card to Atticus. "I would rather change this into a deal for Hogwarts. I know I will need to be featured in the publicity, but I would prefer the focus to be on the quidditch teams of Hogwarts. I want a broom donated to each of the houses at Hogwarts for use by their seeker. I would ask that the four brooms are identical and designed by Madam Hooch for safety as well as performance. And then, of course, I want to design my own custom broom that I will retain. You are free to negotiate further, but those are my goals."

"I think those goals should be attainable, but it will come at a cost I am sure. What the cost will be, we will only know in time. I will send an owl with a meeting time when I have more information. Do you have access to a private floo for conferences, or would you prefer to meet in person?"

"Floo should be fine. I do not know what the name of our connection is exactly. I will ask Professor McGonagall when I return to Hogwarts." At that moment a clock sounded the time. Harry hadn't realized how much of the day he had spent at the office. Reviewing the contract must have taken longer than he thought. "I believe that was my cue to leave. It was a pleasure meeting you Atticus, I look forward to working with you more. I will ask Hannah to set up a meeting with Henry on my way out. Have a good evening."

"You to Harry, you too." Atticus said as he reclined in his chair with a sigh of relief. As he watched Harry leave he couldn't stop himself from reflecting on all Harry had accomplished. From the stories his daughter told, he had saved the day so many times and today was no exception. Earlier that morning Atticus wasn't sure he could pay for all of Hannah's medical bills, but twelve hours later Harry Potter had saved the day once again, and he would never know it.


	9. Practicing Healing

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 9: Practicing Healing**

Three days had passed since Harry had collapsed from exhaustion. Finally, his restriction on using magic would be lifted and his life would return to normal. At this point magic had become second nature and it took more effort not to do it. This morning, in anticipation, Harry had gotten his wand out again. He hadn't been able to use it since it had been repaired, but he felt he was at long last being reunited with an old friend. His mind continued to drift until he approached the hospital wing. He could hear Madam Pomfrey giving Hermione some teaching points as he opened the door.

As Harry entered he was met with a surprise. Hermione was standing there, but it was like he was seeing her for the first time. It was clearly her, but her curly hair was pinned back under a healer's hat and she had changed into healer's robes. Harry couldn't help but think of some of the muggle propaganda he had seen from the WWII era. While she had been beautiful during the Yule Ball, Harry thought that Hermione in dress robes didn't hold a candle to the Hermione in front of him currently. He knew his classmates would disagree; but he also knew this was Hermione in her purest form and she was radiant. Harry wished he could take a picture to send to Ron, but then again Ron might take the mickey out of Hermione for her new look.

"Mr. Potter, my assistant tells me you were less than compliant with your restrictions. Since you did not require a visit to my office, I will trust no harm was done. Prior to a few days ago, I was not fully aware of your health history and potential complications. Today we will be doing an extensive evaluation of your medical condition and documenting all unusual findings. We are in uncharted waters, but I do not anticipate we will find anything alarming. First, I know it has only been a few days, but have you noticed anything different?" inquired Madam Pomfrey.

"It's hard to determine how much is a change in mindset because the war is over compared to the fact that Voldemort literally isn't in my head anymore. I can tell you that my dreams have been more optimistic and I haven't had any more headaches. Overall I feel more positive, clear-headed, and focused."

"What do you mean when you say you feel more clear-headed?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

"Umm... As an example, yesterday I was reading a book on wards. The last few years I would have been easily distracted thinking about Voldemort or what he was planning. Yesterday I was able to sit down and read a few chapters without thinking of anything else until lunch. On top of that since I didn't interrupt my own train of thought, I think I can remember more of it than I would have been able to previously." clarified Harry.

"Aside from the headaches stopping, it sounds like your optimism and decreased distractions are just a side effect of the circumstances. That being said, we will keep asking you this throughout the year. I have also asked Ms. Granger to keep a look out for changes in your personality or behavior. Now, on to the more diagnostic side of the evaluation. As my assistant for the coming school year, I would like Ms. Granger to have the opportunity to get hands on experience. Since you will be her first patient, I would ask your permission and patience with this process if you will allow it."

"Of course, as long as nothing gets too personal, if you know what I mean. I can't imagine explaining that to Ron." Harry half joked as his eyes widened in mock terror. Hermione turned a dark shade of red as she realized what he meant and shifted her weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

"I understand, but that should not be necessary. We are going to start first with two basic assessment spells. The first is _Signae vita._ " Madam Pomfrey said as she cast the spell. "It tests a few basic functions like your heart rate, blood pressure, oxygenation, and temperature. The caster will see different things based on the patient's condition. Each of the measurements shows as an aura on the spectrum. Green being perfectly healthy to red meaning it is a critical concern. All seem to be in order for you, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey added. "Ms. Granger, please cast the spell if you please."

" _Signae vita_." said Hermione. "Wow, this is amazing! Your heart is a pulsing green flash in your chest. If I could wager a guess, I would say it is perfectly timed with the rate of your heart beat. Your lungs are a solid green glow and only stop glowing when you exhale, so I am assuming that shows your oxygenation. Surrounding your body there is faint green halo which must be your temperature. And finally there are defined green lines running throughout your body. It appears to be your vasculature, so I am assuming this represents the blood pressure. Madam Pomfrey... if Harry had a localized issue would the impacted area only change color, or would all of the lines change?"

"You are right on all of your assumptions so far, Ms. Granger. If Mr. Potter had a tourniquet on his arm for instance, you would note the color change only in the impacted areas. This can be extremely useful as you get into trauma injuries and it helps you prioritize some aspects of healing. Since nothing is out of the ordinary, we will move onto the next spell which is _mensio magias facultas._ " Madam Pomfrey said while casting.

Hermione was excited about trying out her new profession and didn't wait for Madam Pomfrey's cue this time. " _Mensio magias facultas_ " she cast.

"Ms. Granger! FIRST, Never perform magic on any of MY patients without my expressed consent. If that ever happens again we will need to discuss whether this apprenticeship is a good fit. Second, I am sure you now realize that only one person can view a wizard's magical core at a time. Please try again and tell me what you see."

"I'm sorry on both accounts Madam Pomfrey." Hermione said in a small voice. "You are right of course, that I should have waited for your permission." She paused, took a deep breath and then continued with more confidence. "But I am also sorry that I do not know what you mean on the second account. I saw something when I cast the spell, but I will try again. _Mensio magias facultas!_ Interesting, this looks so different. It is so much more defined, but so empty compared to when I cast the first time. I am slightly confused, what should I be seeing?" inquired Hermione.

"What do you mean you saw something the first time?" retorted Madam Pomfrey.

"Well, the first time there was a changing white outline that radiated around Harry's whole body and even slightly past it. It seemed to wriggle at the edges which were wide and diffuse. It pulsated as the border appeared to be pressing outwards, as if it was still trying to expand its borders. It was almost alive and changing. The white border was filled with a magnificent aura that shifted with ever changing colors that seemed to eclipse his silhouette, I couldn't see any part of his body. The second time I cast the spell, there was a clearly defined white outline encompassing all of his body save for some his toes on both feet. The major difference though was there was no pulsating color. It was... it was almost completely empty, but there was the hint of an image, almost an after image, the exact green of Harry's eyes. I could see through the color though, I could still see Harry." replied Hermione.

"Curious Ms. Granger. As I am sure you guessed, the white outline is the wizard's core, and the color represents his magic. What you first defined sounds loosely like a young child's magical core which is not yet stable. These cores have a volatile white outline that is shifting and expanding. When students first get to Hogwarts their magical strength and potential have not yet been tested. As they use their magic, their core can partially adjusts to accommodate increased use. In this way magical cores are similar to muscles. They can grow and learn to recover more quickly depending how the person uses them. As student's use magic in school, their patterns of magical use become more predictable. This causes their core to settle. When this happens, you will see the child's core shift into a "defined border" like you described in your second explanation which represents a mature, stable magical core. The more completely the wizard's core covers their silhouette, the stronger they are magically. Only Merlin's core has been known to cover all of his body, most cover only a portion. Next, the colors you described filling the core represents the individual's magic. How quickly colors change, how completely the core is filled, and which colors are visible respectively indicate magical regeneration speed, the portion of the wizard's magical stores remaining for current use, and the wizard's magical signature. These are all factors to consider when analyzing a wizard's potential based on their magical core. The second description you gave matches my assessment of Harry's magical core. It has a defined border, but is fairly void of magic. All of that being said, the fact that you saw something the first time you cast the spell is disconcerting. Wizards only have one magical core and most diagnostic spells can only be cast on a patient by one healer at a time. Ms. Granger, will you please cast Mensio magias facultas on Harry and then I will cast after you to see if I can replicate your findings." requested Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione cast the spell and then Madam Pomfrey did as well. "By the beard of Merlin!" exclaimed Madam Pomfrey. "This is ground breaking, unprecedented, overwhelming..."

Harry didn't know whether to be nervous or excited; "What is it, Madam Pomfrey?"

"Let me see if I can get Hermione to answer that question for you. Hermione, please cast the spell on me now."

Hermione complied and described her findings "Well your core seems to look like Harry's more defined core, just quite a bit smaller and almost completely full of color. With Harry's cores, both cover nearly his whole body, while your core covers your chest, arms, and head. Your magic rotates between a light bluish color, blood red, and silver every second or so, but not constantly."

"As we discussed earlier, the color combination represents my magical signature. While few wizards can read magical residues, those that can have verified that all spells cast by a wizard leave the same magical signature that you find in the wizard's core. While wizards may have similar colors as part of their magical signature, no two are identical. The next consideration is how quickly the colors of my magic change. Probably 70% of the wizarding population will have their colors change at a similar pace to my own. 20% would change more slowly and 10% change more quickly. This is because the majority of wizards in the area were trained at Hogwarts. Each student is pushed at approximately the same rate on a daily basis. Their magic learns to develop and replenish at the pace dictated safe by the school's Professors as well as the Headmaster or Headmistress. In general, 20% of students do not keep up with their peers in the class room, and 10% push their boundaries. This in turn impacts how quickly the colors rotate, meaning how quickly their magic levels replenish. You also commented that my magical core was almost completely full. Since I have been using magic today, this should accurately represent how much of my magic I have left. I would guess my core is 95% to 98% full of color meaning that is how much of my magical stores remain for my use. The 2% to 5% of translucent space you see in my core represents that magic I have used today. Finally, my limited core size is actually above average for a witch. Most witches and wizards will vary in core size ranging from their head alone to their torso and head together defining their core. Few notable exceptions include Professor Dumbledore, Voldemort, Harry, and Merlin. Of the first three, I could not tell you which was the strongest, but I can tell you all had their whole body defined, aside from some of their digits. Dumbledore and Voldemort each had a handful of fingers not covered, ironically on opposite sides of their bodies. The combination of toes and fingers not covered between the three makes it difficult to define which of the three was the strongest. As I said earlier, Merlin is the only known wizard to have his whole body defined as his core."

Hermione chimed back in with a thought, "You are saying that Merlin was the strongest known wizard with all of his body representing his magical core, but Harry's core seems to extended beyond his body at times. Would that mean that Harry is the strongest wizard in history?"

"If it is still true when his core stabilizes, that would be the implication. The confusing part is what you saw does not match the magical core we have watched Harry grow and use. The empty core matches what we have monitored for Harry the last seven years aside from the minor change of all presence of black being removed from its signature, which is an aberration I had noticed a few days ago. This core has fluctuated in how full its levels were over time and this change implies use of the 'empty core'. I cannot verify such change in the newly found core. We may need to conduct an experiment." Madam Pomfrey thought for a moment and then continued, " Mr. Potter if you do not mind, could we proceed to the Room of Requirement? Based on your description of how the room works, the other night, I believe it should be able to help us. When we get there please ask it for a swimming pool where the water is frozen solid."

The trio took off together at a quick pace. As they walked, Madam Pomfrey continued explaining the experiment. It was a fairly simple process, Harry was to repetitively cast an over powered heating spell until he melted the ice and essentially turned the pool into a hot tub. While he was doing this, Hermione and Madam Pomfrey would monitor his magical levels to watch for fluctuations. They continued their discussion until they reached the necessary corridor. At that point, Madam Pomfrey wrapped up the discussion. "The difficult part about this process Mr. Potter, is that I have never seen a core fluctuate colors so quickly. I do not know how fast your magic regenerates. You may need to use quite a bit of magic before we notice the change. "

As they reached the seventh floor, Harry paced around the hallway until a door appeared. The trio entered and were amazed by the swimming pool that Hogwarts provided. It was at least 100 meters long and 40 meters across. While they could not tell how deep the pool was, they did note the pool was perfectly still. The Room of Requirement had formed a perfect ice cube for the experiment.

"Now Mr. Potter, while we want you to push yourself, if at any point you feel weak please stop casting. I will watch the unstable core's levels, while Hermione will watch the other. If she notices any change in the faint green of your defined core, she will tell you to stop casting. If that color fades you could be in danger of either burning your magic out or worse. Do you understand?" directed Madam Pomfrey.

"Yes ma'am." Harry grabbed his wand and pointed it toward the pool. He concentrated on the spell and putting as much power into his cast as possible " _Incendio_!" he yelled. There was a crunch and a hiss as water transformed from ice, to water, and then to water vapor. He continued casting for about five minutes, but something felt off the whole time. When he stopped, he turned to Hermione and Madam Pomfrey. "What did you see?"

"I saw no change in your defined core." said Hermione disappointedly.

"And I saw minor fluctuations in your magical levels. Each time you cast, your core shook though. Did anything feel different?" inquired Madam Pomfrey.

"Now that you mention it, yes it did. It felt like my magic was being resisted. It kind of felt like blowing air into a balloon... something was pushing back." described Harry.

"Do you have your other wand Harry? The wand you're currently holding may be aligned more to your empty core." considered Hermione. "Madam Pomfrey, would it be possible for me to watch the experimental core this time?"

"Yes you may Hermione, if you are correct though you will have to watch his levels carefully. Do not let him risk his health."

"I do have the Elder Wand with me. Shall we give it a go?" As Harry turned around, he saw the room had already reset the pool. "I will take that as a yes. _Incendio_!" yelled Harry. This time Harry could feel the raw power exude from the wand. He watched as the ice cube of pool water was ripped in two. He cast for maybe a minute more before Hermione made him stop. The ice had melted and the water was visibly steaming.

"That was amazing! I could watch his levels drop each time he cast, but the core kept trying to refill. It is like filling a bath tub from the tap while someone is bailing water out of it with a bucket. Large amounts of magic were emptied at a time, but I could watch the levels returning; albeit considerably more slowly. I only asked you to stop was so that Madam Pomfrey could see. Will you do it one more time Harry?"

They switched spots and the room happily replaced the ice one more time. After the final display, Madam Pomfrey insisted they leave. "It's a sauna in here, I think it is best we return to the hospital wing for one last test and to record our findings over some tea." With that, the trio left deep in thought.

As they entered the hospital wing once again, Madam Pomfrey brought Harry a cup full of what appear to be bubbling tar. "I think something is wrong with your tea..." stated Harry in disgust.

"On the contrary my dear boy. My tea is fine, this is the Immundus Spiritus Potion. If you think it looks awful to drink now, just wait until after you've tried it. While we have more tests to do to understand your health, this will definitively determine if all that is left in you, is you." said Madam Pomfrey forebodingly.

Hermione continued with the explanation while plugging her nose. "Immundus Spiritus detects any form of possession. It would reveal any lack of control over your body, mind, soul, or magic. Usually the hardest part is getting the subject to drink the potion. Those who are possessed do not want to be found out, and those who are not possessed don't want to drink it due to the smell."

After one small sniff, Harry understood why people would hesitate, but in an instant Harry made up his mind. He ripped the glass from Madam Pomfrey's hand and tried to down it in two gulps. The taste was pungent, it was like licking the armpit of someone who hadn't showered in a month. He did his best not to gag, but the problem was that potion did not just look like tar, it had its consistency as well. He tried to take a big swallow to finish the mixture, but it was exceedingly thick and Harry started panicking looking for a glass of water. He could feel the mixture coating his mouth and throat. He felt like he was having trouble breathing. He tried gasping for air but he couldn't find it. He saw Madam Pomfrey rush towards him with her wand outstretched.

" _Aguamenti_!" she cast as she stuck her wand part way down Harry's throat. The potion was quickly washed down his throat. Immediately Harry sucked in air and swallowed the rest of the potion while quickly taking a glass of water that Hermione was handing to him.

"You nearly killed yourself Mr. Potter. You should have let me finished giving you instructions before you stole the glass from my hand. Let that be a lesson to you. That being said, aside from almost dying, you took the stuff better than most." admonished Madam Pomfrey.

"With your glowing review of the potion, I felt it was better to get it over with. In hind sight I guess I acted a bit rash. So what does it show... and will the taste ever go away?" inquired Harry.

"It should only be a minute or two more. It needs to disperse completely through your system. When it is done you will likely glow for the next few hours. The color you emit will tell us if there are any signs of possession remaining. We are hoping you will emit a faint white light. All other colors indicate specific forms of possession or control. For instance, if you were under the Imperius Curse, you would glow a soft yellow color" explained Madam Pomfrey. With an uncharacteristic chuckle, she continued "As far as the taste, the only immediate cure is drinking Ogden's Fire Whiskey until you're too pissed to notice."

"Where is Seamus when you need him..." muttered Harry under his breath. Suddenly the room began to get brighter.

"Oh Harry! I hope this stuff wears off soon. You have to be the world's largest night light right now" Hermione said with a chuckle while squinting at Harry. "On the upside you're definitely giving off a white light, but it isn't faint. You may be able to light up the whole quidditch pitch."

"Dear me you are correct Ms. Granger. I have never had this severe of a reaction before, it may have to do with his magic levels. If you glow this brightly, I cannot guess how long it will take to fade. I can give you a sleeping draught just in case though. It may be difficult to fall asleep in a fully lit room. I guess this is as good of a time as any to end our evaluation for the day. I don't think we will be able to see any more results until this wears off. Hermione and I will work on researching more into horcruxes as well as magical cores. Shall we meeting in a week or two to discuss our findings Mr. Potter?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

"That's fine. Just have Hermione let me know when you want to meet and I should be able to make it. And thank you for the sleeping draught! I don't have any whiskey and I don't think I would have been able to sleep with this taste in my mouth regardless of the light. Maybe my breath will be better in the morning and at the very least I won't have to taste it until then." Harry said as he gathered his stuff to leave.

As he made his way through the halls he hoped he wouldn't meet anyone before he reached Headquarters. Harry couldn't help but snigger as he imagined what Professor Snape's response would have been if he were still alive. _Potter, I know you think you are God's gift to the world, but you have taken this too far. Now go back to your room until you stop glowing, Twenty points from Gryffindor, Saint Potter!_


	10. Circumstance and pomp

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 10: Circumstance and Pomp**

Since the end of the first war, Harry had been known as the Boy Who Lived. He was the lone survivor of inevitable death. Voldemort targeted people and they died, end of story. Enemies and allies alike yielded their lives in an unending funeral procession. Yet even after he dug his own grave, Harry remained. This above all else riddled Harry with guilt. Why was he cursed to watch others die when he was so willing to sacrifice himself to save them? It was with this guilt and a heavy heart that Harry packed his bag for the weekend. He would not require much, but the next few days would require much of him. While no one expected him to get to every funeral, Harry planned on moving Heaven and Earth if necessary to make them all. This was not easy task since the count topped fifty funerals over the next three days.

While he would do his best to attend all of the funerals, under normal circumstances, he could not be in two places at once. For his plan to work he would need a time turner and multiple portkeys. He had asked Professor McGonagall to contact the ministry on his behalf. He wasn't worried about the response, the way he saw it, having Harry Potter paying respects to all of the lost was a boon for the magical community and the Ministry itself. He represented hope to them. The vanquisher of the Dark Lord was a light in the darkness and a promise for a brighter future. While he didn't think this was a realistic view of himself, he knew it was how they all saw him now. They didn't see Harry Potter, they saw their last bastion of hope. He was their knight in shining armor that faced insurmountable odds and won. He knew if they looked closer, they would see his armor was dented and rusted. That beneath the illusion was a broken and beat up boy unworthy of their love and adoration. But for this one weekend he would pretend. He would be the hero they needed. He would be their hope for a future while being there to comfort them now.

Harry added a few more items into his bag and shrunk it until he could easily fit it in his pocket. He checked his appearance in the mirror and proceeded to the Headmistress' office. Harry glanced at the gargoyle and said the phrase "Never Forget" and was allowed passage. He climbed the spiral staircase and knocked on the wooden door. He heard some brief movement before Professor McGonagall appeared. Harry glanced at her eyes and he could tell they were slightly swollen. Harry knew she had been crying, but what surprised him most was the essence of both pride and pity that he sensed in her expression. "Mr. Potter, you just missed Minister Shacklebolt. He personally delivered these items to you."

Harry immediately recognized the time turner and put it around his neck. As he did so he was given a stern lecture about the responsibilities of time travel and the limitations of the device he was given. The expectation was also clearly set that he would return the device on Monday. The next thing that he was handed appeared to be a charm bracelet. He took the jewelry and looked at Professor McGonagall in a way the clearly asked _What is this?_

She read the confusion on his face and went on with her explanation, "That bracelet has a portkey to every funeral over the next three days and they are timed to go off sequentially. Kinglsey made the portkeys himself and provided you with these written directions for when to use the time turner. If you use the time turner incorrectly all future portkeys will be ineffective, so follow the directions to the tee. It is a noble thing you are doing Harry. This will be a trying three days for the country and you are stretching it to even longer for yourself. Please try to remember, these deaths are not your fault. This can all be laid at Voldemort's feet. Without you, we could have all been lost. Now don't forget that you need to be outside Hogwart's wards by noon when the first portkey activates. Also, I recommend you stop by the kitchen to have the elves pack you some food, you won't have much time in between funerals and you'll need to keep up your strength." With that she pulled Harry into a hug. As they embraced, Harry felt a single tear drop fall onto his arm before he wordlessly turned to go see the elves.

He had some time before he had to leave, so he checked the list. He noted that there were really only four funerals he would have attended normally. Colin Creevey and Lavendar Brown's funerals were both today. Remus and Tonk's were having a combined funeral on Saturday, and the very last funeral he was scheduled for was Fred's on Sunday night. Each night the portkey would take him to the Burrow to rest before starting the process again the next day. With a general understanding of the plan, Harry started his trek toward Hogsmeade. About the time he was reaching the edge of town, he felt the portkey activate and was unceremoniously thrown to the ground as he reached his first destination.

The next six hours normal time, twelve hours for Harry, went buy in a blur. There was a continuous need to change between muggle and magical garb based on the departed's custom. The only constant was the endless sea of black outfits and empty words of encouragement. Each and every occasion was filled with hope for a new day being eclipsed by the death of a loved one. By the time Harry reached the Burrow on Friday night, he fell into Ginny's arms hoping to feel less alone. As they moved into the house, Harry ended up silently crying with his head on Ginny's lap. His tears were a mixture of anger, guilt, and remorse. Yes, this was Voldemort's fault, but he should have been able to do something about it, he should have protected them all.

Ginny was helpless to do anything to comfort Harry. After ten minutes of trying to reassure him, she simply ran her fingers through his hair as he lie on the couch. Eventually he fell asleep, and Ginny stayed there keeping watch.

In the morning, Harry woke to the sounds of a snoring Ginny. She had kept vigil through the night and nodded off sometime in the early morning. He checked the time and attempted to leave the couch without waking his girlfriend. As he sat up carefully covered Ginny with the blanket he had been using. He was able to make his way to the kitchen where a cooking Molly Weasley was being as quiet as she could. "Morning Mrs. Weasley." Harry let out with a yawn.

"Good morning dear, can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?" Mrs. Weasley inquired.

"I'll wait for everyone else. Do you mind if I grab a shower before everyone else wakes up? I have to be on the road in a couple of hours."

"Not at all dear, breakfast will be done by the time you're dressed."

With that Harry left to wash the vestiges of Friday from his mind. The warm water was a source of comfort and rejuvenation. He knew its healing powers would not last the day, but it was a temporary reprieve from the guilt and sadness.

Six funerals later, and Harry found himself at the home of Andromeda Tonks. Upon his arrival, he wasn't sure he could make it through this one. As he knocked on the door, he was surprised to find Ginny open it. In her arms she carried Teddy, his Godson. The baby let out a giggle as he changed his hair from Weasley red to a reddish brown that would be a midpoint between Harry's hair color and Ginny's. The image before him left Harry speechless. This is what his future could be, coming home to Ginny and his child after a long day of work. It felt like it would have been perfect, until he remembered why he was at this particular house. HIs heart sank at the thought of the parents Teddy would never know. He reached for Teddy and clung to him throughout the funeral. They had so much in common, but Harry would make sure Teddy had all of the things his childhood was missing. He spent the next hour making promises to Remus and Tonks instead of paying attention to the service. He wasn't ready to take on the full mantel of legal guardian of Teddy, but then again he didn't have to. Andromeda was there and doing a wonderful job. He would still play a significant role in the baby's life, but guardian wasn't it. As Andromeda approached him to take Teddy back, Harry realized the guests were standing to leave and that he missed the whole ceremony. Ginny was sitting to his left, followed by Hermione, and then Ron. He hadn't even registered that his two friends were there. Before he had the chance to talk with them, his portkey activated taking him to his next destination.

Harry broke down in tears as he landed at the next funeral. He wished he had five more minutes with his friends. He needed their reassurance, he need a hug. But alas, Harry Potter the vanquisher of Voldemort was not allowed this respite. He took a minute to regain his composure and soldiered on. By the end of Saturday, Harry had attended close to forty funerals. His last portkey took him to the Burrow, and unlike the night before, he shed no tears. He walked in the front door and noticed Ginny asleep on the couch waiting for him again. He saw the blanket from earlier in the morning and tucked her in. He then sat across from her in a chair, put his feet up on the ottoman and drifted off to sleep.

Sunday proceed similarly to Saturday. As the day came to a close, he found himself at the Burrow once again. This time, it wasn't just to sleep. The final funeral he had to attend was Fred's. As Harry circled the house to where he knew the funeral would take place, he was met with a surprise. Unlike the other memorial services, this one appeared to be a lively affair. The decorations were flamboyant and the food was plenty. If Harry hadn't known better, he would have thought it was a party. As he approached, he saw that George was carrying a tray like a waiter. George had a smile on, but Harry could tell it was an act. His eyes weren't smiling like they would normally, but Harry let it pass.

"Harry! Would you care for snake bite? Made from real snake." asked George.

"Sure" said Harry, not considering the source. Harry popped the hors d'oeuvres into his mouth. Immediately he felt the heat begin to rise and coughed out a puff of smoke. The smoke began to congregate and reshape itself. It formed into a skull with a snake slithering out its mouth. Harry was horrified as he realized he had coughed up the dark mark until George took a mini version of Gryffindor's sword and chopped the head off the snake. This started a fuse that resulted in the skull erupting into a couple of small fireworks. As the final explosion died down, George proceeded to the next guest. Harry stood in stunned silence for a moment before letting out an uncomfortable laugh.

With the tension broken, Harry began to look for Ginny. He found her standing in front of a headstone that kept changing the name written on it. A few that caught Harry's attention included ; Barry M. Deep, Ted N. Buried, Al B. Rightback, M. T. Tomb, andOtta B. Alive. Behind the head stone was Fred's body. As Harry approached Ginny, he put his arm around her. She was just staring at Fred and shaking her head. He held her close and just stayed there with her. The silence dragged on and Harry felt temporarily overwhelmed by the loss of a true friend and a man he considered his brother.

Ultimately, Ginny turned to go into the house. Harry followed behind her and joined the family in the kitchen. He walked in on a conversation about the proceedings. Mrs. Weasley and George were discussing some final details. George had a final surprise for the evening but was too exhausted to do it justice. Hearing that help was needed, Harry immediately volunteered for whatever was necessary. George filled him in on the details, and Harry spent much of the evening planning while he asked Hermione and Professor McGonagall for some last minute help.

The evening went on as most funerals do, telling stories and lamenting the loss of someone special. There were the talks of moving onto the next great adventure and how everyone would meet Fred again in the great beyond. Recognizing his cue, Harry proceeded to the fuse as George had directed. He had been informed that a Weasley fireworks creation would be waiting for him. Depending on how much magic he used, would determine the result. The plan was simple, think of the fireworks display you wanted and cast an _incendio_ with as much power as you wanted to supply to the fuse. Simply put, more magic created more fireworks. With this in mind he needed two people to monitor his magic levels , since he planned on going all out for Fred. Professor McGonagall had cast the first _Mensio magias facultas_ earlier, followed by Hermione. Hermione's job was to stop Harry from collapsing from magical exhaustion. With his safe guards in place, he said the incantation and forced all of his magic, except a remnant into his _incendio._ The resulting fireworks display was unparalleled.

Spurred on by George's appetizers, the display started similarly. A shimmering burst of green fireworks created a skull with a serpent emerging from its mouth. The fireworks continue generating from thin air as a town was depicted in the sky. The serpent slithered through the town and a figure emerged from a building with a clearly defined "W" on the front. Two flashes erupted from the figures wand blinding the serpent. With this call to action other figures emerged and cast into the sky. The spells combined into an immense explosion of reds, oranges, and yellows that combined to make a phoenix. The bird attacked the serpent that squirmed in pain, destroying the town in its death throes. The serpent had hit the bird and the phoenix was flung into the air and plummeted to Fred's tomb, causing it to erupt in a display of fireworks that lit the funeral pyre. From the fire a single firework shot up. When that firework burst, you would have thought the sky had caught on fire. As the sky settled a firework created image of Fred was left in the sky. Fred stared down from above for a full minute before winking. As the fireworks display wrapped up the signature "W" of the Weasley Wizarding Wheezeys faded from view.

It was a stunned crowd that slowly stood to offer the family condolences before leaving. As the last guest left, George's fake smile came off, and the family could truly mourn. That night everyone went to their beds, but few slept.

It was a exhausted Harry that work up in the morning and cooked the Weasley's breakfast. It may not be much, but it was something he could do for them, so he did. The food was set out on the breakfast table with warming charms for when anyone awoke. He gathered his belongings, and apparated to Hogwarts to allow the family their time alone.

At noon he had a meeting with the Minister for Magic and the Headmistress. He returned the time-turner and his former portkey. The magic had worn off, it was now just a bracelet. As Kingsley thanked him for his selflessness, he handed Harry a small envelope. As Harry peeked inside, he found a list of meetings and events his presence was requested at throughout the summer, the final event was a tentative date for an award ceremony recognizing the heroes from the war.


	11. Wand wood wanted

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 11: Wand Wood Wanted**

After a wearying weekend of social mourning, Harry wished for some space. He needed time away and didn't feel like talking to anyone. The way he saw it, a single funeral can take a huge emotional toll on a person, but stretching the time continuum in order to attend more than fifty in three days is enough to take anyone out of commission for a little while.

Once he recovered, Harry spent the rest of the week helping Ginny train for quidditch tryouts when he wasn't at ministry functions. This resulted in Ron playing keeper while George, Harry, and Ginny played chasers for hours on end. Ginny was a little rusty at first, but she worked on the accuracy and timing of her passes and shots. As she improved, she started to add some arc and spin to the quaffle, increasing the blocking difficulty for Ron. By the end of the first week, she was feeling like she hadn't taken a year off from playing quidditch. The training also served as a distraction for the entire group. They worked out their frustrations on the pitch and at the end of each day Hermione was able to join them for dinner. While quidditch was helping to heal their pain, Hermione's presence provided the added advantage of having someone to heal any minor injuries they received while training.

After dinner everyone would go their own way. Often Ron and Hermione would leave together, as would Harry and Ginny. Harry and Ron never really talked about the fact Harry and Ginny were clearly together again, the onetime Harry had tried, the extent of the conversation was a quick "Don't hurt her Harry". Harry wasn't willing to risk his good fortune on a lengthier conversation.

One evening as dinner wrapped up, Harry and Hermione took their leave and returned to Hogwarts. Hermione had to follow up on some material for Madam Pomfrey, while Harry changed into outdoor clothing to meet with Mr. Ollivander. He slowly made his way to the edge of the Forbidden Forest as the sun edge closer to the horizon. He caught a glimpse of a small fire as he approached the woods. Suddenly he heard Ollivander call out "Good day, Mr. Potter! This looks to be a perfect night for collecting wand wood, don't you think?"

"I will trust your judgment on the conditions, Sir, but the weather is great. May I ask why you are carrying a torch?" replied Harry.

"Ah yes, we come to it right away, don't we. First, the torch is for light. You have to keep in mind the trickiest part of wand making is this; you have to do it without use of a wand. Makes sense, doesn't it? If you needed a wand to create a wand, it would have never been done. In fact, in most instances a wand proves to be more of distraction and often decreases the effectiveness of wand makers. The further the wand maker's own wand is from him, the better work he can accomplish. Here we find ourselves in a dilemma. You see most patches of magical forests have dark creatures in them. The best way to defend yourself against these creatures is your wand. So what do you do?" inquired Ollivander.

"This question would be better posed to Hermione. Give me a second though. We want the wand far away, yet also immediately available. It appears to be a paradox, but before I answer I need to know if it is the use of a wand that disrupts the process, or is it the wand itself?" asked Harry

"That's a fair question, my boy. Don't sell yourself short. Magic has nothing to do with the issue, the wand itself creates the problem." Ollivander responded.

"Normally I would say that an object cannot be infinitely far away while being available on hand, but I have an idea. I wonder if a carrying bag with a extension charm placed on the inside would work. You would want fairly extensive charm work done to meet the need, but I think it would be possible and would provide an elegant solution to the problem at hand." discussed Harry.

"The simplest answer is often the correct one, Mr. Potter. As part of your training, I brought this one for you." Ollivander said as he handed Harry a small purple bag similar to one used for a child's marbles. "This bag has an undetectable extension charm that makes it nearly bottomless. This bag is where you can place your wand as well as any wand wood or cores that you collect. When we start our search tonight, please place your wand in that bag. We wouldn't want one of the bowtruckles to run off with your wand, would we?" questioned Ollivander.

Harry took the time to attach the pouch to his belt and then stowed his wand. Ollivander continued with his dialogue, "As I mentioned, wand making cannot be done with a wand. That means you have to have a fair supply of magic and good control of it to be successful. The first step is being able to sense your own magic. This requires a good deal of introspection that I will leave you to master over the summer. Once you can sense your magic, you will need to work on controlling it. Most of the time wizards do this, they push their magic outwards towards the environment. This is the easiest way to exercise moving your magic due to the lack of specific control. To gauge if you are successful, you will notice that other magical beings will feel this change. In the old days, this was used to size up opponents and vie for dominance without fighting. This practice is no longer common because some wizards got wise and decided to hide the true extent of their power. As a result, few wizards know or practice the ability to date. Once you get this skill, your focus will need to shift from pushing your magic out of you, to relocating your magic to your dominant hand. To start the process of collecting wand wood, first approach the tree with your hand out flat and then concentrate your magic in your hand. As the tree reacts to your magical signature, move this magic foci from your hand up your forearm to the length of the wand you are trying to create. This is a slow process and you must do it carefully. Any sudden changes, including changes in the direction of the magical pull, risk breaking the wood you are extracting rendering the wood useless. The standard length of a wand is ten to fifteen inches, which is the typical length of a wand maker's forearm. The elbow junction causes a great deal of strife for many wand makers, you see. Once the desired length has been pulled from the tree, wrap your magic around the wand wood and sever its connection to the tree. Once this happens, you have retrieved one wand's worth of wood. Any questions?"

"I understand the concept, but it seems to be something that is easier said than done. Also, I feel like we skipped a step, how do you even know which trees to approach?" asked Harry.

"That is what I am going to show you tonight. In your bag you will find a cage with a bowtruckle in it. His cage has been spelled to be self cleaning as well as provide a consistent supply of wood for him to eat and water to drink. He has also been charmed to glow in the dark, much to his dismay. This allows him to be found more easily if it is dark out, hence we meet at dusk. In the future he will be your source of information on which trees to approach. Tonight, we will use mine as we search for wand wood. As we enter the forest, I will hold him in my hands. You will find bowtruckles to be animated creatures, this is their normal behavior. What you may or may not be aware of is the fact that trees that provide wand quality wood, are like a drug to them. When you are approaching a tree that will provide you with wand wood, they appear like a teenage male who has seen his first Veela. They stop fidgeting and stare for a moment and may openly drool. It's when this happens that you have to be prepared to let the bowtruckle go. Their initial landing point on a tree is where you want to approach with your magic. During this process you do not need to worry about your bowtruckle, he will not leave the current tree. When you are done, use a summoning spell to retrieve him and place him in his cage for a few minutes. This is important, because he will be upset with you since you removed him from the tree and will likely throw a fit similar to a small child. The good thing is that their memories only last two minutes, so you can walk a short distance and start looking for more wood. Does that answer your question?"

"I believe so, but is there anything more to process? Does it matter if the tree is birch, ash, or pine for instance?" asked Harry.

"Walk with me and we can go into the finer details of wandlore. Much of it is speculation and most of it is pointless when making wands for the general population." said Ollivander as he started to walk into the forest. He handed Harry the torch and removed his bowtruckle. As they continued walking, Ollivander continued his train of thought, "In my line of business, I need to provide wands for all sorts of people with varying interests. Ultimately the wand chooses the wizard, but you can try to craft a wand by design. This is an imperfect undertaking and you are not guaranteed the results you hope to achieve or that the wand will accept its new owner. If you are trying to customize a wand, you can focus on a type of wood, but it is not a perfect science. For instance, it is said that pine tends to do better for wizards interested in magical herbology or potions, while willow wands help wizards excel in potions or healing. If I try to gather wood to make a wand to improve skill in potions, either pine or ash wood may increase this ability, but both could also fail so which do you pick? I can provide you with a general reference, but it is more like data that shows trends rather than unquestionable facts. There are two schools of thought on the topic, one is that the wood enhances the wizards ability in these areas, but the other equally likely theory is that these wands select the wizard for their innate ability towards skills." Ollivander grew silent as he watched his bowtruckle. He made sure to grab Harry's attention and then nodded toward the creature. Harry could see that the little guy had stopped moving and was staring at a nearby tree with his mouth open. As Ollivander let him go, Harry would have likened the experience to the coyote running after the road runner in cartoons. The bowtruckle's legs were sprinting before he hit the ground. It ran to the tree with its arm outstretched. Harry noted what appeared to the first point of contact between the creature and the tree.

"Follow me, Mr. Potter, and watch closely." My. Ollivander approached the tree with his hand outstretched like it was handing him some coins. His eyes were closed and he was clearly concentrating. Suddenly Harry felt a shift in magic. He watched as the tree seemed to extend a branch from the trunk towards the wand maker. The piece of wood slowly inched closer to man's elbow. Suddenly, Ollivander's eyes open in a flash and the piece of wood fell the fraction of an inch, into his hand. "That, Mr. Potter, is how you collect wand wood. _Accio Simon_!" Harry watched as a seriously mad bowtruckle fell into Ollivander's hands, and was immediately placed into his cage.

"May I ask why you named your bowtruckle Simon, Sir?"inquired Harry.

"Ah yes, well I found that you need to be careful if you try to summon 'bowtruckle' when hunting for wand wood. After two occasions of five or more bowtruckles flying at me, I decided mine needed a name. As far as Simon goes, it comes from a child's game. When searching for wand wood I find I am limited to what Simon says." explain Ollivander.

"I see. I suppose I should name mine as well then. I will name him Shel. Do I need to get his approval, or will calling him that be enough to differentiate him from other bowtruckles?" Harry said in follow up.

"It can take a few weeks, the more times you talk to him with that name, the sooner your magic will recognized your bowtruckle as Shel. It is a unique name, may I ask after its derivation?" Ollivander inquired.

"Your comment about the children's game got me thinking about my childhood. It was very different from most children's, but I did have time at school to pick out library books. Shel is the first name of one of the muggle authors. It seemed appropriate since the book talks about a tree making sacrifices to make the little boy in the book happy." explained Harry.

"Indeed it is. So, where were we in our conversation? That's right, factors impacting wand wood. The type of wood is just one factor in the equation. Some wand makers swear that timing of collection compared to the celestial bodies can impact the magical properties are well. One theory is that if Mars is prominent in the night sky, the wand is more likely made for a combat oriented wizard. I have found varying results, but if you would like, you can try to assess the impact for yourself. Some swear by the light of a full moon, others by the power of the summer and winter solstices." stated Ollivander skeptically. They continued talking about general theories as they collected an additional four pieces of wand wood throughout the night. "Now, Mr. Potter, your test is simple. You have the summer to pull five pieces of usable wand wood for the school year. If you are not successful, I can teach philosophies about wands, but we will not go into all of the intricacies of wand making. Is that understood?" Ollivander clarified as they left the forest.

"Yes sir. I appreciate you taking the time to meet with me this evening. I will let you know when I have collected them all. I hope you have a good night."

"You as well Mr. Potter. I wish to warn you not be overconfident in this endeavor. Many before you have failed, it is not a sign of weakness, but I applaud your enthusiasm. Have a good evening." admonished Mr. Ollivander.

Harry found himself alone on the school grounds. He decided to proceed to the lake to start trying to feel his magic. He stood there concentrating on the water, and watching small waves lap up on the shore. He slowly started to nod off, and in the process was startled to say he thought he could almost feel the waves. It was an odd thought and it fully woke him up. In this process he lost the feeling, and wasn't actually sure that the feeling was ever there at all. He sat near the lake for nearly an hour more before giving up and returning to Headquarters.

Harry was undressing for the night when he remembered the marble sack. He summoned his wand and bowtruckle's cage from the pouch. He wanted to start talking to Shel, in order to get the name to stick. This mostly consisted of an introduction, that Shel didn't acknowledge, and a quick good night. As Harry turned off the lights, he realized a small problem, he would need to cover Shel's cage. The faint glow was bothering him, so he summoned a blanket to put over the cage and then drifted off to sleep.


	12. Pushing the limits

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 12: Pushing the Limits**

The next week was rather disappointing for Harry. Half of his day was spent with Ginny and that went great; it was the other half, which he spent in meditation, which was frustrating. His "meditation" time had been wasted sitting in place and getting nothing accomplished. If Harry felt like putting a positive spin on the situation he would say that for the first time in his life, he had time to relax, but in reality he felt anything but relaxed.

One evening, Hermione walked in to hear Harry venting his frustrations. "Bloody meditation is bloody useless. What has it gotten me? A numb arse is all." muttered Harry as he walked into their common area. "Oh, hey Hermione... sorry 'bout that... I'm just a bit fed up with this whole finding yourself garbage. Ollivander didn't give too many hints aside from the fact that introspection would help me find my magic. A lot of good that's done. I've meditated for hours and I am no closer than I was when I started."

Hermione's forehead scrunched up as she tried to think about what she knew on the topic, which surprisingly, was very little. She had some general guesses, which could be a good starting place, so she gave Harry some reasonable advice. "I could do some research, but I doubt that sitting cross-legged on the floor is what Mr. Ollivander had in mind. From our conversations with Madam Pomfrey, I would guess that each wizard's magic is unique to the attributes of that wizard and will relate to them differently. Since you have never been one to meditate, that won't be effective for you. I would start in a setting that you feel the most comfortable thinking. I, myself, would go to the library, probably do some basic research and then think what it means to me. Since it is a personal process I would venture to guess you would have better luck elsewhere. You always seem to want to fly when you're stressed. Go take your broom out on the grounds and think about who Harry Potter is and what makes you who you are. Once you figure that out, think about what magic means to you and specific times you could sense its power and look for similarities in the scenarios. In the end that might not work, but it will give me some time to do some brief research."

"I'll give it a go, if nothing else it will give me time away from sitting cross legged on the floor." As he turned to leave he stopped for a second and turned back. "Thanks, Hermione. I don't think I've said that enough. I don't know where we would all be without you, so thanks." Then he turned around and left before she could respond. Hermione stood there a bit stunned and ready to down play her worth, but due to Harry's quick departure, didn't have the chance.

Once in his room, Harry snatched his Firebolt and took a running leap out the window. Normally this behavior wouldn't be tolerated at Hogwarts, but it was summer and there were very few people around to object, or better yet, catch him in the act. Due to being merely six stories up, he could only enjoy the rushing sensation of falling for a second before swinging his broom between his legs and shooting off toward the forest.

As his adrenaline calmed down, he took Hermione's advice and started thinking about his life. Since discovering he was a wizard, he protected the Philosopher's Stone from Voldemort, fought a basilisk, held off dozens of dementors, competed in the TriWizard Tournament, thwarted Umbridge, took on Death Eaters with his friends, and finally defeated Voldemort. This is what the public thought of him, this is the Boy Who Lived. For a long time he had vehemently denied this part of himself. He was just doing what anyone else would have done, right? But as he took a serious look at the wizards he knew, this was not often the case. Yes there were the Dumbledore and MadEye Moodys of the world, but the majority of magical Britain cowered and ran at the first sign of danger. He realized not everyone was a Gryffindor, but he could no longer deny the proof that he was, in part, The Boy Who Lived.

He continued to think about his life, most specifically about the loss of his parents and growing up isolated, alone, and abused. Knowing what he knew now, he realized this could have played out horribly for the wizarding world. Isolation had resulted in the metamorphous of Tom Riddle to Lord Voldemort, but with him it was different. He had found true friendship on the Hogwarts Express. Having a small taste of love and acceptance had resulted in a yearning for more. Few people would guess at the depth of love he had for his friends, but he knew it caused him to be extremely protective of those he had fully let into his life. Surprisingly, his motivation to act like a Gryffindor was spurred on by his loyalty to his friends and was strongly Hufflepuff in nature. He defeated the basilisk to save Ron's sister, correction, to save Ginny. He was able to hold off a plethora of dementors due to his love for Sirius, the same love that drove him to the ministry to fight the wizards he thought were holding Sirius captive. It was his love and loyalty to his friends that caused him to willingly sacrifice his life to protect them all.

Abruptly, Harry was snapped out of his thought process as he reached Hogwart's wards. He pointed his broom into the forest and slowed his speed zigzagging through the trees back toward the castle. Eventually he got into a rhythm and was able to get back to the task at hand. His previous train of thought had largely defined who he was. The problem lie in the fact that he still didn't know who he is now. He had fought the good fight, but where did that leave him and what did he want? He had considered a few goals but did those define him? He wanted to be the best auror possible which was driving his current desire to learn. His life had been directed by survival to this point, but now he wanted more. He had only made it through the onslaught of the last seven years by the skin of his teeth. While he could point fingers of who was to blame, he realized one of those was back at himself. He never had truly applied himself academically. If he had worked harder and studied more, maybe it all wouldn't have been so hard and they wouldn't have had to rely on Hermione so much. Moving forward he realized he should request extra time with Professor Flitwick to improve his dueling skills. Everyone knew that professor Flitwick was a world class dueler and he had never thought to engage the teachers outside of the classroom before. Would they go for it? If he continued along these lines, he figured Professor McGonagall could probably teach him battle transfiguration as well. Harry had to roll his eyes at his new found desire to learn. If he wasn't careful, people might start asking why he wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw like they did with Hermione and he would need a time turner to do all of his extracurricular work.

As Harry analyzed his current line of thought, he realized his ambition was directing his behavior. While being the best auror possible was his primary ambition he also realized he had a desire to make a larger difference. Based on his role in the war his fame would give him political power for years to come, and if he had to guess they would award him the order of Merlin which would gain him a seat on the Wizengamot. He wasn't sure were to start, but he needed to start building a network of advisers to capitalize on his political momentum. Susan Bones and Daphne Greengrass stuck out to him as good peers to discuss this with, but he didn't know if either would be coming back next year. In truth Daphne probably wouldn't give him the time of day, but would be the more cunning ally. Maybe now that the war was over she would come out of her shell of neutrality, but the Greengrass' history was not on his side. That left Harry hoping at least Susan would return. She would be the easier of the two to approach for help anyway. As he was figuring out how to use his contacts, he shuddered at the fact he was trying to act like a Slytherin.

In the end this internal debate served to confuse Harry all the more. The sorting hat had said he was particularly difficult to place, but he never understood the quandary until today. He had attributes from all of the houses, but what made him Harry Potter? As his tension and confusion mounted he could feel a pulse reverberating through his body. As he focused on it, he realized it was not steady like a heartbeat. It felt more like a humming that pulsed with peaks in his emotions. As he refocused on his thoughts he glanced up. There wasn't adequate room to get around the grove of trees in front of him and he had only a second to react. In the moment his fear peaked his heart began to race. As he approached the trees he felt the humming intensify and almost reach out of him. He pulled the broom up with all of his might and he felt like his magic was pushing back on the approaching tree as he did so. He hit a few small branches on his way up but ultimately he shot out of the forest canopy.

Harry couldn't help but smile. Miraculously, he had not ran head first into a tree, but at the same time he had also verified the feel of his magic. He flew back to the castle and into his bedroom window. After stowing his broom, he strutted into his and Hermione's common area with a smile. Hermione was curled up in one of chairs reading a book with the wizarding wireless on. He walked up to her and picked her up out of the chair. She gasped in surprise as he gave her a bear hug and twirled her in a circle. With a slight giggle and a crooked smile, she asked him "What was that for?"

"For your advice earlier. I've been flying for the last couple of hours. During the process I got lost in my thoughts and for a minute, I thought I could feel my magic. My suspicions were immediately confirmed when I looked up and realized I was about to run into a tree. I barely missed it, but I felt my magic react and try to push against the tree. It may not have been the safest way to test a theory, but it worked. Now that I know what my magic feels like, all I have to do is work on controlling it." stated Harry with smile.

"Only you would go on broom ride alone and almost get yourself killed." stated Hermione disapprovingly.

"Dinner in about ten minutes? I want to have a quick shower." asked Harry.

"Sure" replied Hermione as Harry left with a bounce in his step. She shook her head as she watched him go. She finished the chapter she was on a couple minutes later and marked her page with a bookmark so she wouldn't be in the middle of a chapter when Harry came back. Nothing was worse thsn being interrupted in the middle of a chapter.

***HPGoBP***

The following day, Harry's summer routine was interrupted by a scheduled floo call with Atticus and Henry in the late afternoon. He was looking forward to meeting Henry, but he was more curious how the Dragon Boom negotiations were going and what other business offers he had received.

He got down on his hands and knees and then threw some floo powder into the fireplace. When his head finally stopped spinning he could tell they were back in Atticus' office. As Harry introduced himself to Henry, he was struck with a sense of deja vu. Henry had sandy brown hair and a no-nonsense expression. If he had been more prone to smile, he would have looked like a slightly more weathered version of Gilderoy Lockhart. That notion aside, Henry made a good first impression that assuaged any remaining concerns that Harry had working with the duo.

The meeting progressed and contracts were discussed ad nauseam. Harry immediately turned down a deal to be one of the cards in the chocolate frog boxes in addition to at least ten other offers. A few others were put into a maybe pile for further discussion later. The only additional offer Harry choose to act on immediately was a startup company working on mass producing some commonly used potions. The company was looking for investors and were willing to negotiate terms. They didn't care how much he invested, they just wanted to be able to tout his name as they looked for more capital. Harry could tell this company had the opportunity to make a difference and he wanted to be part of it. Could he make money in the process? Yes... but that wasn't his focus. If he was going to invest, he wanted a major stake in the company. He wanted to help influence its future and he wanted to make sure the company was filling some critical needs. His main concern was a steady supply of Wolfsbane Potion for werewolves, but the possibilities were just starting there.

Finally they conversation turned to Atticus for an update on negotiations with Dragon Brooms. The majority of Harry's terms would be met. He would get to design his own broom and Demetri would even allow him to be involved in the building process. Most of the negotiations focused on the company donating scaled back brooms to the four Hogwarts teams for their seekers to use. In order to make both of Harry's requirements happen, Demetri wanted a few things in return. The first was that Harry would have to play seeker for Gryffindor's team during the upcoming season. Harry figured this would be easily accomplished, but he didn't know exactly where he stood since he missed the previous year of school. While the previous year's season was canceled, he didn't know if a new quidditch captain had been selected prior to the term. He could easily get that information following the meeting though. The second concession was going to be more difficult; Demetri required that the Hogwarts matches be open to the company's prospective clients for this first season of sales. The goal was to have potential buyers scope out the capabilities of the brooms first hand. To sweeten the deal for Hogwarts, Dragon Brooms would restore the old stnds and provide additional seating around the quidditch pitch. Once the season was complete, these seats would be released to the schools to encourage more family members to come watch the school matches in the future. Harry figured Professor McGonagall was going to require a bit of convincing to allow that to happen, but it should be manageable.

The third condition was that following the match, Harry would have to show off his personal broom. The Hogwarts brooms would have limited capabilities for safety reasons and Demetri wanted Harry to show off what a real Dragon Broom could do. Harry figured this was reasonable and he willingly accepted this part of the contract.

The final requirement was the one Harry disliked the most. He had to agree to be featured in marketing materials. Demetri was willing to include other Hogwarts quidditch players if they signed a release to participate without additional compensation, but Harry was a must and other players could be staged if necessary. All in all, Harry thought it was a good deal and that the Hogwarts concessions would be manageable. Harry bid farewell to Atticus and Henry promising to owl the Headmistress' response. If she agreed, they would set up a time to finalize the contract.

With thoughts of new quidditch brooms flying through his head, Harry made his way to the stone Gargoyle that guarded the Headmistress's office. He spoke the password and knocked on the door. Harry heard Professor McGonagall yell through the door, "Come in Mr. Potter."

Harry entered the office and immediately asked the question, "How did you know it was me?"

"It's fairly simple. There are a total of two people in the castle that would have felt the need to knock on the door. You and Miss Granger. I know what Poppy had in store for Miss Granger today, so you were the most likely candidate." explained the Headmistress.

"Oh..." said Harry seeing the logic in her reason.

"Well that, and there is a portrait near the entrance that tells me when someone is coming." Professor McGonagall said with a smile. "Now what can I do for you today?"

"You know that I have hated being famous since I arrived at Hogwarts. It seems with the end of the war this issue has only worsened to the point I have hired a solicitor. I have been approached by a number of companies, but one in particular has peaked my interest. I am hoping to work with a start-up company called Dragon Brooms as I believe they have a great deal of potential."

"I caution you not to let all of this attention go to your head, Mr. Potter. Yet I still fail to see why you have come to me." stated the Headmistress.

"Well ma'am, I was hoping to get a few new brooms for the school teams. I have started the negotiations, focusing on new brooms for the teams' seekers. The brooms the teams are flying have become an arms race in recent years and I thought this could level the playing field. The other positions brooms aren't as critical and this would be a step in the right direction." Harry said as he continued.

"That was very thoughtful of you, I appreciate your work to benefit the school, but I sense if that was all you wouldn't be as hesitant as you are now. What are the conditions?" queried Professor McGonagall.

Harry knew the jig was up, so he fully relayed the conditions of the contract the Headmistress. The two had back and forth discussion for the next half hour and were able to come to some common ground. Harry was glad to discover that he would retain his position of Captain of the Gryffindor team which solidified one part of the contract with Demetri. The Headmistress made it abundantly clear that none of the students should be pressured into being present on marketing material. She was hesitant to even allow them to do it if they wanted to and only conceded the point when Harry pointed out that it could help those students who were seeking professional positions after school. The real sticking point of the deal was of course the safety of Hogwarts students. So soon after the war it was hard for the Headmistress to trust unknown outsiders inside the gates of Hogwarts. They had come up with a counter offer that required Dragon Brooms to pay for a security team, hired by Hogwarts, to accompany the prospective clients. As they wrapped up the discussion, the clock struck six o'clock and the pair decided to proceed to dinner.

Following dinner, Harry sent an owl with the requested changes to Atticus and decided to retired to Headquarters for the night. He caught up on some of his reading and then started thinking about the feel of his magic. It took a few minutes, but Harry could feel the same humming sensation he felt on his broom. As he did this he thought about the times that he had performed accidental magic growing up. He realized it generally happened when he was angry. No that wasn't quite right; it happened when someone was being wronged. Often this was himself, but other times he was protecting others. His magic seemed to be keyed into protecting those he cared about and serving justice to the perpetrator. The thought of all the injustices in the wizarding world caused him to become upset. He would work on making substantial changes to the magical community, but the process would be slow and he would have to fix centuries wrong doing. In the mean time, he would protect the weak and bring justice swiftly to those who deserved it. As this thought finished in his mind he pushed the humming sensation out into the world. He felt like he was escaping from a prison he had long been locked away in. Suddenly he felt a torrent of magic overwhelm him and then there was a scream in the distance.


	13. Core curriculum

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 13: Core Curriculum**

Hearing the scream, snapped Harry out of it. He jumped off his bed and went sprinting towards Hermione's room. With his wand at the ready, Harry was prepared to fight whatever foolish death eater thought to attack them in the castle. Harry's heart was pounding as he rounded the corner and feared the worse since there were no lingering sounds of battle. As he entered the room, all he could see was Hermione breathing deeply on her bed. She was looking all around for an invisible foe.

"What happened Hermione, who attacked you?" Harry asked as he surveyed the room.

"No one, didn't you feel it?" inquired Hermione.

"Feel what? I was sitting in my bed when I heard you scream." recalled Harry.

"You didn't feel that suffocating feeling, like your head was covered in a plastic bag? There was also that overwhelming sensation of static electricity and pressure. I swear I could see sparks fly between the air and the walls... Didn't you feel any of that?" Hermione said exasperatedly.

"Hermione..." Harry said sheepishly as he struggled to look her in the eye. "I think I owe you an apology... I think I did it while trying to control my magic. I tried pushing it away from me, but all I felt was a large current of power, like a dam bursting... but from me. I think my magic caused you to feel the way you did. I can try to do it again to confirm my suspicions. If you are ok with that?" Harry said tentatively.

"I think... I think that's ok, just don't do it for too long. Now that I know what it is, it won't catch me by surprise. That being said, it wasn't all together pleasant. I would prefer to be warned in the future." said Hermione as she tried to calm down.

Harry felt ashamed that he had scared Hermione half to death, but was also a little excited to confirm his suspicion. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it would reach you in your room, nor what it would feel like. I will try to practice farther away for now, until I can control it better. I can't say how quickly I can make it happen, but if you give me a minute I can try to recall how I did it before. Are you ready?" Hermione nodded and Harry focused on the humming sensation he had learned to find only that day. As he did it, he realized it was like trying to shape a pool of water. He felt it pulsing and subtly flowing around him and the only way he knew to direct it was with righteous indignation. He applied his source of control like a mallet, forcing the contents of his magical core outwards. He felt the sudden rush of power and watched as Hermione's eyes widened in panic. With that signal he stopped the flood of power leaking into the room and watched as a few sparks dissipated into the castle.

"That was brilliant Harry! Terrifying... but brilliant! It was one thing to feel it, but to see you as you made it happen is something else entirely." Hermione said in awe.

"What do you mean, to see me do it?" inquired Harry.

Hermione was clearly excited and thought for a second before responding, "Did you see any of the sparks I had mentioned previously?" Harry nodded his head once and Hermione immediately continued. "If I had to guess they must be concentrated pockets of magic dissipating into the environment. Well those sparks are nothing compared to what is happening around you. When you pushed your magic into the environment, magic flowed between your fingers and limbs and the environment. It looks similar to how electricity flows around a Tesla Coil."

Harry tried to bring an image to mind, but drew up blank. "What does that mean in English, Hermione?"

"It's kind of like lightening, but instead of the bolts coming from clouds, they generated from you in rapid succession. Better?" replied Hermione with an air of indignation.

"Wicked! Though I'll have to take your word for it for now, I think I better go to bed before I pass out. The whole process if fairly draining." Harry said as he stifled a yawn. "I am struggling just to stay standing after doing that twice. I'll see you in the morning, and don't worry, I won't be surprising you again with that tonight. Good night, Hermione" Harry said as he slowly shuffled out of the room.

***HPGoBP***

The next day Harry was eager to continue his training, but before he left for the Burrow, Hermione asked that he stop by Madam Pomfrey's office when he returned in the afternoon. She felt that she may want to study the effects of Harry's latest skill and its impact on his core. He quickly agreed before grabbing a quick breakfast and flooing to see Ginny. He was so excited to tell her about his discovery, that he nearly left his broom at Hogwarts.

When he got the Burrow though, he temporarily forgot his own excitement. Ginny was frantic with worry. She had received and owl from the Puddlemere United Reserve Team asking for her to come tryout. A chaser had become ill and they needed to start training a replacement straight away. Because of this, the tryouts were in about an hour and her nerves were kicking in. Harry pulled her into a hug and sat her down at the kitchen table. Upon finding out she hadn't eaten breakfast, Harry immediately started cooking eggs and toast on autopilot from his days with the Dursleys.

As Harry cooked, Ginny started making a list of all she had to remember to take with her for the tryouts. As breakfast finished, Harry glanced at the list that was nearly a foot of parchment long. He rolled his eyes and went to the shed to get her quidditch gear. This consisted of mainly her broom, a broom service kit, chaser gloves, and her quidditch robes. Upon his return he sat at the table and started waxing her broom and making sure it was in top condition for the tryouts. He looked over to see Ginny still contemplating her list as he handed her the broom and then kissed her. It was enough to calm her down to the point of rational thought. "Ginny, I've brought all you need. You'll be brilliant and they will be lucky to have you. Odds are you will be shooting against Oliver Wood, so remember he favors blocking the right and center hoops. That means when in doubt, shoot left. Got it?"

Ginny looked at him slightly calmer and simply gave a him a head nod back. "I'm nervous Harry. What if this is my only shot?"

"It won't be, but you'll be fine. That is as long as you get there on time. You better get going, and good luck!" Ginny gave him a quick kiss goodbye and was off. Harry was left to clean up the kitchen and then head back to Hogwarts.

Since he was back early he decided to find Hermione and Madam Pomfrey. He navigated the halls until he reached the hospital wing. As he entered, Harry could tell he had walked in on a discussion about himself. Since they were exploring uncharted territory, it was a more of a brainstorming session than a lecture. He decided not to interrupt as they seemed to have a lot of momentum at the moment.

Hermione was insistent that the key to the situation is the lead she had found while in the room of requirement and started to run with it. "What if the core you have been monitoring for the last seven years was actually tied to the horcrux? The prophecy stated that Harry would be marked Voldemort's equal. What if when Harry was accidentally made a horcrux, he was given an identical magical core to Voldemort's marking him Voldemort's equal? That is why the holly wand, which was a sister wand to Voldemort's, would have chosen Harry. When he is using magic from that core, the holly wand responds, but when he is using the core he was born with, _the power the Dark Lord knows not_ , his magic feels stunted."

Harry decided to jump in and make his presence known; "But when I repaired my wand, it still recognized me. If Voldemort attacked his own horcrux when he tried to kill me, wouldn't that core have been destroyed?" asked Harry.

"It's hard to say. It is thought that the soul requires at least a modicum of magic to survive. Purebloods would deny it, but it is thought even muggles have a spark of magic in them. The amount is so insignificant that their bodies wall it off and stop them from accessing the tiny bit of magic they possess. This is a protection mechanism that works in all humans. In wizards this can be seen in those who have "burned out" their core from magical exhaustion. If a wizard's magical levels get too low, the core will shut down and protect the necessary amount of magic to sustain life. This prevents the levels from regenerating and the witch or wizard will never be able to use magic again, but they will remain alive. If a strong enough spell is cast before the wizard's core can react, the caster will die. I go into this explanation because it is not fully known how the killing curse works. The leading theory is that the spell drains all of the magic out of the target's core. It's important to note that it would NOT have to destroy the core in the process. In Harry's case, the core maintaining Voldemort's soul was drained. This destroyed the soul fragment, but since it was not Harry's magical core, he would have been left alive." theorized Madam Pomfrey.

"That all make sense, but how did the magic get into the extra core to begin with? My wand always worked before, so how was I using Voldemort's magic instead of the magic from my true core? Also, why does that core show up first when people are assessing my health and why did Voldemort's curse hit that core instead of my own?" interjected Harry.

"I think the first questions are the harder to answer. The last two could be related. When Voldemort made you into a horcrux, it was by accident. The soul fragment imbedded itself into you superficially. This means during assessments, it was easier for the Mensio magias facultas to assess that core because it wasn't as deeply imbedded into you. Likewise, since the horcrux core was more superficial, the killing curse reached it first. As far as how you used the magic from that core and how it refilled, I can only assume the soul fragment was feeding off your magical reserves like a parasite. This caused a connection between the two cores. If the connection was directly or indirectly through Voldemort himself, I do not know. But we do know that you had a connection to Voldemort, so it is possible that all of the horcruxes were connected in some way. If you had been tapping into that connection and subsequent core accidentally, the wand would have responded to the difference in magic. We also do not know how low the parasitic core was keeping your true core's magical levels. It could have been that it was always near empty, so you tapped into the magical reserve of the Voldemort core." deduced Hermione.

"So are you saying that it is possible that as long as I live Voldemort could come back, since there is a remnant of his magical core in me?" asked Harry .

"Not at all. Voldemort himself drained all magic from that core, eliminating the magic that sustained his soul fragment. While you may have two cores, you are only you. If someone else had used the killing curse on you, his magic might have tried to fight the spell like the other horcruxes did and you may have died, but since he was the caster, the curse went to the easiest target. We will never know at this point, but it is my belief that Voldemort's insistence on being the one to kill you, led to his ultimate demise." chimed in Madam Pomfrey. "Now my apprentice here, tells me that you have recently achieved a new level of control on your magic. I have been warned it is quite alarming to see and feel, but if you are willing, we would like to watch your magical levels as you perform the feat. Is that ok with you Mr. Potter?"

"Of course, but it is quite draining, so your analysis will have to be quick." said Harry. Hermione had been relegated to watch the drained core while Madam Pomfrey would watch his true core. As they cast the spells, Harry prepared his state of mind but was quickly interrupted by a startled Hermione.

"Madam Pomfrey, you need to see this." stated Hermione.

"What's wrong my dear? is everything ok?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

Hermione ended her spell and allowed Madam Pomfrey to recast her own. "Very interesting. I think we may find our experiment more intriguing than initially planned." Harry gave the pair a look of concern and intrigue, but allowed them to continue. "I feel the answer to your question may lie in the moments ahead, Mr. Potter. Hermione, please watch his main core and we can proceed." added Madam Pomfrey.

Harry was feeling left out of the loop, but didn't argue. Once Hermione cast _mensio magias facultas_ Harry tried to slip into the right state of mind. Suddenly he felt the torrent of power rushing from him as he pressed his magic into his surroundings. This time he was able to stay more observant and noticed the sparks flying to nearby objects. He turned a bit farther and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. A storm raged around his body. His eyes glowed with an ethereal magic that was terrifying to behold and lightening radiated from his being. He noticed his scar was illuminated and glowing with the magical lightening as well. As he held the feeling a moment more, a stream of magic shot from him and struck his likeness in the mirror in the head right where he had been staring the moment before. Anticipating that the mirror would shatter, he abruptly released his control on his magic. He waited a second for a crash that never came.

"That was extraordinary Mr. Potter. What were your findings Hermione?" inquired Madam Pomfrey.

"I would say he was able to drain about a quarter of his magic in a matter of seconds. It's hard to be exact since his primary core has so many colors. The opaque colors representing his magical stores, just seem to slowly fade into the translucent empty space of his core. And what did you see?" asked Hermione.

"There was a small influx of magic in the beginning, but it was barely noticeable. Right before Harry released his efforts, there was a surge. I would not say his extra core is a quarter full at this point, but maybe somewhere around fifteen percent. The bulk of that came in the last seconds of Harry's efforts. Did you do something different before you quieted your magic Mr. Potter?" added Madam Pomfrey.

"I didn't do anything intentionally, I noticed my reflection in the mirror and could see that my scar was alight with the discharged magic. That's when a bolt of magic shot towards the mirror and seemed to strike my scar. I thought the mirror was going to break, so I stopped forcing my magic outwards." chimed in Harry.

Madam Pomfrey quickly took over the conversation in an extremely matter of fact tone. "What you did today could be extremely dangerous to your health Mr. Potter. You will need to learn control of this process and should not try this exercise more than twice a day for a similar intervals as you just did. If you have performed a lot of magic throughout the day, you should further limit this skill as you could risk burning out your true core. That being said this has a significant potential to increase your stores of magic since you have managed to divert some of your magic into your back up core."

Hermione jumped into the conversation rather excitedly "Can you try using the holly wand now Harry?"

Harry took the wand and cast a patronus. The stag shot out of his wand, and his magic flowed freely through the wand once again. "My magic doesn't feel stunted anymore." said Harry.

"Harry would you be up for one more experiment? All you will have to do is cast that spell one more time with each of you wands while Hermione and I measure your magic levels." added in Madam Pomfrey.

They proceeded with the experiment to find that Harry would preferentially use his true core when using the elder wand, while his holly wand generally used magic from his extra core. These findings lent credence to Hermione's original hypothesis and the group decided they had enough excitement for the day. As they proceeded to dinner, they excited discussed the possibilities surrounding their findings.


	14. Free time

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 14: Free time**

At breakfast, Harry was happily tucking into some eggs and bacon when he got a sudden sense of dread. He was positive that if he had Neville's remembrall it would currently be filled with red smoke. What had he forgotten? He was replaying his day, and his glaring error became apparent. He immediately stood up and was out of the great hall like a seeker after a snitch. He admonished himself all of the way back to his room where he took the floo to the Burrow with an apology already on his lips.

What he walked into was anything but expected. Mrs. Weasley watching the floo with hopeful anticipation and was clearly disappointed when Harry arrived. Mr. Weasley had temporarily stopped talking but resumed his conversation with an auror. As Harry approached, he could hear the remnants of a missing persons interview being conducted with Mr. Weasley.

"Oh Harry, we haven't seen Ginny since yesterday morning. Have you heard from her?" inquired Mrs. Weasley tearfully.

"Last I knew she was leaving for the chaser tryouts for Puddlemere United's reserve team. She didn't say how long she'd be gone though. Have you contacted the coach?" asked Harry.

The scene was interrupted by an incoming floo. Ginny walked in looking a little worse for wear and was immediately pounced upon by her mother. "Where have you been!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed with relief and frustration.

"Mum, quiet down, my head is throbbing... After the tryouts the team took me out for a pint to celebrate. A few pints later, one of the other reserve chasers allowed me to crash at her place for the night. It was no big deal" said Ginny with little remorse.

"No big deal? NO BIG DEAL? You could have let us know where you were, we've been worried sick. You're grounded for the next month. You'll have a good time de-gnoming the garden, scrubbing pots by hand, and cleaning the house to make up for it. Go to your room this instant young lady. I hope it was worth it!" Said Mrs. Weasley, as an afterthought she added, "and congratulations on making the team."

"That's just it mum, I'm not grounded. I'm moving out. I need to be closer to the team and Jewley has an extra room at her flat." stated Ginny plainly.

"Who's this Jewley?... and you most certainly are not moving out." stated an irate Mrs. Weasley.

"Jewley Hammersmith is the lead chaser for the reserve team and I stayed at her place last night. I am moving out, and that WILL be happening as soon as I can pack up my stuff." Ginny said shortly. She then proceeded to her room as loudly as possible. Harry could hear her packing her belongings, at the same volume, and returned with her trunk in tow. Harry did not know how to proceed. The Weasleys had been the closest thing to family for him since he had met Ron on the train. That being said, he was now dating Ginny and felt like he should be supportive. While he was making up his mind, Ginny kept marching right out the front door. Apparently in the heat of the moment, Ginny didn't seem to notice that Harry was there. She hitched the trunk to the back of her broom and left without looking back.

This gave Harry a bit of a reprieve and he just stood there awkwardly. Mrs. Weasley stomped off toward the kitchen, clearly choking back tears. A stunned Arthur awkwardly bid the auror goodbye and thanked him for his time. Harry, not knowing what to do, gave Mr. Weasley a knowing glance, nodded his head solemnly, and took the floo back to Hogwarts.

Upon his less then graceful arrival, Harry found Hermione in their common area. He relayed the brief, but significant, events from the Burrow to Hermione who did not seemed shocked at this revelation. "Well, Ginny always said she would be out of there as soon as she could be. It was a bit more dramatic than necessary, but I can't say I'm surprised."

"Yeah, you're right. But I don't even know where to find her now. I guess I will need to send an owl." Harry wrote a quick note and carried it off to the Owlery. If he had to guess, by the time the school owl found Ginny and he received a reply, he had a few days before he'd get to talk with her. On the upside, Ginny having her own place could allow them some much needed privacy as well as the perk of being in a much larger wizarding town than Ottery St. Catchpole. On his way back he contemplated what to do with his time. He had it narrowed to working on his magical control and trying his hand at removing the portrait of Sirius' mother at Grimmauld Place. He decided on a combination of the two.

Once back at Headquarters, Harry found himself alone. He sat down in one of the chairs and forced the magic from his core into the environment. He tried shifting the energy toward his scar. Never having intentionally controlled the flow before, he couldn't tell if it was working, so he released his effort. He tried to think through what had happened last time. The mirror was the difference.

Harry proceeded to the bathroom to try to the process again while looking in the mirror. He pushed his magic out again and focused on his scar. He could feel his magic pulling this time, but didn't have the flow. Something was still off. He had now pushed his magic out of his core twice, and he had been warned not to do this more two times in a single day. His efforts had not been held for as long as they were previously, so he decided he could give it one more go. He started by analyzing his scar. He traced the outline with his eyes. He closed his eyes and visualized the scar. He remembered the pain it had caused, the feel of the connection to Voldemort's mind, and he began pushing his magic toward the scar. He felt the flow of magic and focused to control it. Harry was highly aware that his magical reserves were wearing thin. Paradoxically, he started feeling stronger. He opened his eyes and could see that magic was not flowing out of him. He stared at his iridescent, silver-blue scar and held his magic until the growing sense of weakness clearly overrode the new found sense of strength. He released his magic, stumbled to the nearest chair, and fell asleep.

He was shaken awake a few hours later as Hermione found him in the chair sleeping. "Harry! Harry wake up!" yelled Hermione.

"Morning Hermione... what can I do for you?" ask Harry half awake.

"You missed lunch so I was checking on you." stated Hermione.

"Checking on me... I must have passed out... I was practicing with my magic. Can you check my levels? I think I moved magic to my secondary core, but I'm not sure." Harry said as he fought to stay awake.

Hermione cast the spell and her jaw dropped. "Looks like you were right, your secondary core is at about forty percent. Based on how you are behaving, I would say you over did it. I will have one of the house elves bring your dinner up here later. You are not to use any magic the rest of the day and then see Madam Pomfrey in the morning."

Harry readily agreed and remembered little else from the evening besides blinking, eating some soup and bread, blinking again, and then waking up in his bed the next morning.

He must have been more tired than even he realized, since he didn't remember moving to his bed, then again, the house elves or Hermione could have levitated him there. After a few good stretches and a quick run to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he vaguely remembered his promise to Hermione.

Upon his arrival to the hospital wing, he was immediately chastised by the healer. "Mr. Potter, I specifically told you to not overdue your new found talent. It is not considered control, if you put yourself into an exhaustion induced coma for nearly eighteen hours. Still... my protégé tells me you were able to accomplish something for your efforts. If you don't mind, Ms. Granger and I will check your progress."

Harry watched the healer and his friend's expressions as they set to the task. It seemed like it was going to be a good prognosis based on their reactions.

"Well, it appears your magic is nearly replenished and in record time, if you were as tired as Ms. Granger tells me. Do you care to repeat your efforts from yesterday? We would like to see your magical core manipulation in action now that you have focused your control. If you feel up to it, of course."

"I'll have a go at it. Please cast the charms and I will try to replicate what I did yesterday." Harry focused on the memories of the scar. At times they were abstract, but he visualized the shape of the scar and the feeling of the connection to Voldemort. Then he pushed once again.

As he was pushing, he registered Hermione's voice "Fifty percent... Sixty Percent... Seventy Percent... Eighty Percent... Ninety Percent... FULL!"

When she said the words full, he felt his magic struggle to keep flowing, and simultaneously felt like his head was going to rip open. He stopped moving his magic and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Well done, Mister Potter. You transitioned about half your magic into your extra magical core and that filled the remaining sixty percent. That means if you drained both of your cores you could have both of them filled in a matter of days. That is astounding to say the least! I wonder where the surprises will end with you." Madam Pomfrey wandered away to get her notebook to record the findings for the day.

"Hermione, I was wondering if you would want to go to Grimmauld Place with me this evening. I want to have most of my magic available when I try to take down the portrait and I was hoping you would be there in case something goes wrong." asked Harry.

"You really shouldn't push yourself, Harry, but we can give it a try. Have you decided what spell you're going to use to remove the portrait? A reducto perhaps? A blasting curse? There is no point in going unless you have a good plan." Hermione said thinking she had gotten the best of Harry.

"Actually, yes I have, but you will have to wait and see. The goal is to remove the portrait, not to blow up the house. We can floo over after dinner if that works for you. See you later, I need to grab brunch and I am going to go back to bed until dinner. I want to recover as much strength as possible for this evening.

It wasn't until dusk that Harry was able to get Hermione to leave the castle. They reached Grimmauld Place and immediately had to calm Walburga. They then proceeded to the dining room to draw up a plan of attack. Hermione started pressing Harry on what spell he was going to use. Harry, sensing a rare opportunity, decided to try to lead Hermione to the answer through a series of questions for a change. "Well, Hermione, what would you do with any other picture you hung on the wall?"

"Well I would take it down, remove its hook, patch up the wall, and repaint it." said Hermione missing Harry's point.

"What would you do with the picture at that point?" tried Harry again.

"Most of the time we just replace the picture in the frame Harry, and leave the old one behind it." said a frustrated Hermione.

"Well let's say you were taking it down for good." added Harry.

"Well then I would throw it away wouldn't I?" said a now confused and frustrated Hermione.

"But what if you wanted to keep it?" asked Harry.

"We may store it in the attic." said Hermione.

"But what if you wanted to protect it since it was a family heirloom?" Harry tried one last time.

"I would pack it in a box... pack it? Is that the answer? You want to use a packing spell?" asked Hermione.

"Very specifically I want to use an organizing spell. It just happens to be used to sort socks or organize clothes for packing usually..." Harry paused as he saw the wheels of Hermione's mind turning. He wasn't sure if she was doing math to calculate if it would work, but that's what he imagined in his head.

After a minute her eyes came up from the floor shining with excitement. "That may work... That just might work."

"Shall we give it a try?" Asked Harry with a renewed sense of hope and a cocky grin.

"Maybe I should try first, we don't know if it has even been done before. If nothing else, it could save you a small bit of effort later." said Hermione.

"Sure" said Harry with a shrug. "I was going to use the eídos parangelía charm."

Hermione closed her eyes and cast the spell. As she did so, the portrait began cursing her name and complaining about mudbloods performing magic in the ancient and noble house of Black. She struggled for a few minutes, fueling her efforts with the frustration caused be the portrait's words, but it was to no avail.

Harry called Kreacher to his side. "Kreacher, I am going to try to move the portrait of your former mistress. If you see it moving from the wall, I wish you to assist me in any way possible to remove all connections to the wall. If you help me with this, I will let you keep the portrait in your private quarters if you wish. Is that understood?"

"Yes Master Harry, Kreacher will help with this task, like Master helped Kreature with the locket." replied the house elf.

Harry took out the Elder Wand, inhaled deeply and cast " _Eídos Parangelía_!" He poured all of his energy into the spell. The wall began to shake and the portrait began to rattle. That's when Kreacher stepped next to Harry with his hand raised. The portrait started shouting at the elf, but both pushed on. Harry could feel his levels declining quickly, but the rattling became louder and bits of plaster were falling off the wall. Finally with a burst of energy from Kreature, the portrait went flying to the elf. This was not a controlled acceleration though, so the pair went flying into the stairs. Hermione quickly rushed over to find Kreature bleeding and unconscious. She attempted some basic healing spells, but her attempts were fruitless. Elvin magic was not the same wizards. In a panic, Harry scooped up the elf and quickly floo'd back to Hogwarts.

Sprinting through the halls, Harry made his way to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey quickly came to his aid, and used the few spells she had at her disposal for elves to try to staunch the flow of blood. As Hermione caught up she jumped into action as well. Knowing most of their magic would be useless, she started bandaging the elf in muggle fashion, while instructing Harry to get some of the elves from the kitchen.

After a mad dash through the school, Harry tickled the pear on the portrait leading to the kitchen. He found an elf who immediately transported them to the hospital wing and got to work on Kreature. It wasn't until he took a step back to calm down, that he realized the elf he had found was Winky. He just hoped the elf in question had gotten over her drinking problem.


	15. Remembrance

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 15: Remembrance**

Head Mistress McGonagall walked into a chaotic seen in the hospital wing. Her immediate reaction was to go to the blood covered Harry Potter who was sitting in one of the patient beds. As she approached, she wondered at the screaming portrait in bed with him, but first asked about his health. "Mr. Potter are you all right?"

"I'm fine, it's Kreature. He's hurt." said Harry in a daze.

"What were you doing that caused him to bleed so profusely? And why are you carrying that screaming painting around... It can't be... is that that insufferable women from Grimmauld Place?" added a perplexed Headmistress.

"Yeah, I've promised her to Kreature, but if he doesn't make it you can have her... or you can set her on fire. Either way..." said a daze and aloof Harry. He just kept staring at the group in front of him.

The Healer was chatting under her breath, Hermione had seemingly mummified Kreature's head with bandages, and Winky had an intense focus about her. The whole process came to a halt as Winky placed one hand over Kreature and snapped her fingers. A magical pulse was sent throughout the room causing everyone to stop what they were doing. The small elf seemed to slowly collapse to the ground as she said "We has done whats we can, all wes can do now is wait." And then she fell into unconsciousness in Hermione's arms.

Kreature exhaled deeply and the whole room seemed to hold its collective breath. Harry watched the elf's chest for sign of movement, but the seconds ticked on to no avail. After about thirty seconds, he was about to give up, when the smallest hint of movement caught his attention. Gradually Kreature's breathing returned to a slow but steady pace. Harry walked over to Hermione taking Winky and placing the elf in another bed to recover.

After waiting with Harry for another hour, Hermione retired to Headquarters taking the portrait with her, but Harry refused to leave Kreature's side. He slept in the hospital wing keeping silent vigil. It was late into the night that Harry remembered the last elf he had let into his life. Dobby's death could be laid at his feet, and he didn't know if he could stand adding to that list. Not that he had strong feelings for Kreature, but they seemed to have an understanding since the locket was destroyed. Also, Dobby's actions had been at least partially of his own free will, while he had specifically ordered Kreature to help. There was no one else to blame but himself. As visions of elves haunted his mind, he slowly drifted into the world of restless dreams with bulging eyes, flying picture frames, and falling puddings.

At nearly daybreak, Hermione walked into the hospital wing. Upon her arrival, she noted that Winky had already left. Harry was tossing and turning in the bed across from Kreature. She approached him, and brushed the hair out of his eyes. She could tell he was being tormented in his dreams, but it was nowhere near as bad as his Voldemort fueled visions. She put her hand on his chest and then slowly shook him awake. 

At her touch he calmed slightly. The momentary peace was broken as he leaped out of the bed like a shot. His immediate concern was Kreature's health, but Hermione frustratingly didn't have the answer to his questions since she had just arrived. Madam Pomfrey walked in a short while later and only added the unhelpful adage that "Only time will tell." It was suggested that he go to the Great Hall to get some breakfast. He was resistant at first, but Hermione promised to remain by the elf's side.

It was a rather quiet breakfast. Only Harry and the Headmistress where there. As Harry nibbled on a piece of bacon, a fierce looking owl approached and landed nearby with his leg outstretched. Harry untied the missive and went to hand the bird some bacon, but it looked insulted and immediately soared out of the Great Hall. Upon unrolling the message, it was clear why the bird had snubbed the treat. It was a summons to Gringotts. Their owls were too well trained to take food from a customer to which they delivered a letter. The message caught Harry off guard in its simple, but direct nature, "Harry Potter is hereby summoned to appear at Gringotts tomorrow morning at nine o'clock for the reading of the last will and testament of Severus Snape." Harry sat back in his chair in stunned silence. Being summoned surely meant he was to receive something, but what would Snape have left him? Until his death, Harry was sure they were bitter enemies, but Severus had enough forethought to have planned to leave Harry something in his will. The new version of Snape was still altogether foreign to him.

In a daze, he stumbled back to the hospital wing contemplating this new development. He reached his destination and found there was no change in Kreature's condition. He sat back down in the bed he had claimed and wondered what the next day would bring. He hoped the owl returned with Ginny's address, he really wanted to talk to her; but he guessed that welcomed distraction would not come. He wasted a whole day in the hospital wing, and the next day, when the owl did return from Ginny, he didn't have enough time to spare to stop before the meeting at Gringotts.

Harry proceeded to dress in his best robes and solemnly make his way to Gringotts. He was escorted to a small room that had a total of three seats in the whole place. Evidently this was not to be a large affair. He took a seat and waited for the others to arrive. He was a few minutes early and he knew the goblin representation would be exactly on time, after all, time is galleons. Just shy of the hour, Draco Malfoy walked in and took the seat next to Harry. Neither boy had anything to say and a simple nod was all either managed. Finally a small goblin entered and proceeded with the reading. "In accordance with the last will and testament of one Mister Severus Snape, Mr. Draco Malfoy and Mr. Harry Potter should be summoned to receive the following possessions. My godson, Draco, shall receive the property I possess located on Spinner's End in the hope that he may make a new life away from the shadow of his father. In addition, he will receive a total of 10,000 galleons to start his new life, the rest of my wealth shall be donated to Hogwarts to improve the potions labs and maintain the appropriate supplies. At this time Draco may be excused."

Draco quickly recognized his unceremonious dismissal and left the room. He gave Harry a curious look as he left.

The goblin waited for the door to shut and then continued. "To Mr. Harry Potter, I leave a photo album located in my vault at Gringotts, all books and scrolls that I possess, and any magical relics in my home, quarters at Hogwarts, or vault at Gringotts. Mr. Potter should also be notified that the pensive at Hogwarts was previously left to me by Albus Dumbledore and that it is now his to use as he pleases. A set of memories will be found in my vault and may provide some additional insight to the night of Albus' murder as well as my life as a spy for the Order of the Phoenix incase Harry is unclear why he was invited today." This stunned Harry. The pensive and memories must have been planted incase Harry had not found out the truth from Snape about why he had betrayed Voldemort.

"That is all, Mr. Potter. All items discussed are as of this moment moved into your vault except for the memories. I am under strict instructions to give those to you directly." He presented Harry with a secured attaché. Harry looked to the goblin for more instructions, since there was no discernible way of opening the case." I am told that the password was the spell your father used in the memory you accidentally saw while working with Mister Snape."

Harry quietly said Levicorpus to the briefcase and it split at the seams. Harry took note that there were two sets of potions vials. One labeled 'Hogwarts: A History' and the other labeled 'The Half Blood Snape'. Harry noted that 'The Half Blood Snape' vials were numbered, so he assumed he was supposed to view those sequentially. After Harry closed the case, he shrank it and placed it in his pocket. The goblin nodded his head and lead the way back to the front of the bank. Once outside, Harry proceeded to the Leaky Cauldron where he floo called Ginny's new address to make sure she was home.

A sassy reply verified she was indeed there, so he took the handful of floo powder and braced himself for the twirling ride that generally ended with him falling on the ground. As he exited the floo, he found himself falling once again, but this time into Ginny's waiting arms. "Are you sure you shouldn't have tried out for seeker or perhaps keeper?" Harry quipped trying to save face. After giving Ginny a not so quick kiss he was able to mumble out a quick congratulations before being pulled further into the flat.

The reunion was not so subtly interrupted by Jewley clearing her throat. A slightly crimson Harry was pulled to her side for introductions. Jewley was all of 155 centimeters tall and maybe 55 kilos soaking wet. She had blue eyes and short blonde hair that was topped off with a cocky, self-satisfied smile. Harry quickly learned that Jewley was not the type of person to accept a handshake. Having never met a stranger in her life, she pulled Harry into a hug and pretended to inquire of Harry's intentions with her 'Gin-ger'. Getting a confused look from Harry, she tried again sequentially with 'Gin-Gin', 'En-Gin', and finally 'Big Red'. Harry's face got more scrunched up with every poor nickname the girl tried.

"My intentions with GINNY are none of your business, but it's nice to meet you Jewley. If I may, may I inquire to what your nickname is?" asked Harry. "Perhaps Jewels, The Jeweler, or... The Robber Baron?"

"The Hammer" Jewley deadpanned back at Harry.

Feeling a bit foolish for forgetting her last name, Harry added "That's a logical choice".

Jewley busted out laughing at Harry's discomfort and went to leave the room. As she was leaving Harry saw her shaking her head and chuckling with the words "The Robber Baron" being spoken under her breath.

Ginny took Harry by the hand and started giving him the official tour. This process took all of five minutes since the tour consisted of the kitchen, the living room, two separate bedrooms, and the loo. The tour ended up on the sofa and the conversation continued into a play by play of Ginny's try outs. She had remembered his advice and scored her last goal by feinting right and shooting left. Slowly the conversation turned to less pleasant topics such as what had happened with her parents. She apologized for not stopping to talk to him, but knew that if she stopped her mother would build up steam and it could have derailed her exit. She had to get out before she lost her nerve. Harry started feeling guilty and came clean about forgetting to check in on how her tryouts went until the morning. The conversation had them both feeling relieved. In an awkward moment of silence, they made the decision to go to lunch before Ginny had to go to afternoon practice with the team. Overall Ginny's excitement for her new position slowly crowded out all other thoughts and conversation. This came to an abrupt halt as it came time for Harry to leave. They both knew that Ginny was going to have to dedicate most of her time to practice and learning the team's plays and that meant a large portion of the remaining summer would not include as much time together as they had hoped. Harry knew it was something she had to do, but they both knew they had limited time before school started and they would be relegated to writing to each other until the Winter holidays.

It was early afternoon when Harry was able to return to Hogwarts. He walked into the hospital wing surprised to find it was empty. His mind went into overdrive and he feared for the worst. He knew Kreature's wishes, and would have to cut off his head and place it by the stairs. It was the least he could do for the elf. He had his head down and was wallowing in self-pity as he went to find the healer in her office. As he turned the corner he ran into Hermione who was moving at full speed. Harry toppled backward onto his rear and Hermione fell on top of him due to her momentum. After a few quick apologies, they both started laughing. They heard a gasp in the background and assumed that Madam Pomfrey had walked in on the situation making the wrong assumptions. But as they got up, no one was there. The healer would be back shortly after having time to pretend she didn't walk in on a perceived scandal moments before. They dusted off their clothes and Harry asked Hermione where they put the body.

"The body?" Hermione asked as she gave Harry a confused look. "Oh Harry, Kreature's not dead. He wasn't one hundred percent healed when he left, but he insisted on getting back to Grimmauld Place. After talking with Winky, it seemed like he would heal quicker there since his magic is tied to you and that house. Winky is with him now. If anything seems to be off, she has been instructed to return him at once. In all honesty, I doubt there is much more we can do for him. I believe the only reason he survived was because of whatever Winky did."

As Harry went to ask more questions, Madam Pomfrey entered and without even looking at the pair pronounced that "The Headmistress was looking for you Mr. Potter, and you as well Hermione. I told her I would send you on your way at once." and then retired to her office.

The pair took it as their cue to leave, and started discussing what they could be meeting about. They didn't have long until they were at the gargoyle and entered the Headmistress' office. To their surprise, they weren't alone. There was an extremely upset looking visitor waiting for their arrival.


	16. A little testy

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 16: A little testy**

"Ron!" yelled Hermione as she ran to throw her arms around his neck.

"Not now Hermione" Ron said as he shrugged off her hug. He gave her a stern glance, nodding towards the Headmistress while simultaneously raising his eyebrows. This caused Hermione to back off and blush.

"Good to see you, mate." said Harry trying to break through the tension.

"Yeah, you too Harry." said Ron with an aloof expression.

The Headmistress cleared her throat, in a manner that was distinctly different than Dolores Umbridge. This caused the group to shift their focus to her. "I have asked you all here today to start the first phase of the project you requested. If you would still like to proceed with animagus testing and subsequent training it will begin today. This will not be a short journey, but if you are lucky, we will reveal all three of your forms in time. "

"What do you mean if we're lucky?" piped in Ron.

The Headmistress was taken aback by the interruption, but answered the question anyway. "The ability to become an animagus is considered a rare gift. While that thought is utter nonsense, it does take time and patience. Thus, most witches and wizards never pursue the skill. It is likely an ability we all have, but you need to first ascertain information about your form and that takes more time and effort than most deem worthwhile. There is no shortcut to the process, just sequential fact gathering until your options have been narrowed enough to pursue a controlled change into your form. This fact gathering is what I refer to as testing and must be completed prior to attempting to make the potion that stimulates the initial change. This potion requires a minimum of a month to make. This is largely due to the fact you need to keep a mandrake leaf in your mouth for at minimum one lunar cycle. During this month you will need to live like your animal form does. While this may seem trivial, the risk of swallowing your leaf is real, and has fouled up the process for several wizards. Also, many find dedicating the amount of time to the process onerous due to their animagus counter parts preferences. This if further complicated because you may have gotten some details wrong in your initial testing, which will make the potion ineffective at best. It would also require you to start the process over if you decide to continue the process. Knowing all of this, do you still want to pursue this endeavor?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all nodded their heads sequentially as McGonagall set her eyes upon them. "Alright then, I will supply you with the instructions and you will be tasked with completing the task in your free time. You will have a series of reflection times, for want of a better word. Some you will be asked to complete on your own, others will be as a group. This evening's will be the first of the group sessions. Our goal through this process is to identify your most basic instincts, and to do that we need to lower your inhibitions." McGonagall walked behind her desk and pulled out a bottle and three glasses. "As we are in mixed company, I will be the chaperone for the evening. But I must warn you, this is no butter beer. If you have not had Ogden's Finest Fire Whiskey before, you are in for quite the experience." The Headmistress filled the small glasses in front of her and handed one each to the trio.

Feeling a little awkward and a bit nostalgic, Harry raised his glass to McGonagall and said "To your good health, professor" and downed his drink as did Ron and Hermione. Their faces gave them away as first timers and the Headmistress had a good chuckle. Harry then relayed the significance of the toast. After retelling his last lucid moments with Dumbledore, McGonagall poured three more glasses for the group and one for herself.

This time, Hermione chimed in with "Here's to finding light in the darkness, to having something worth fighting for, and to the power he knows not. Here's to love!" Harry and McGonagall quickly drank their glasses, while Hermione locked eyes with Ron before slowly tilting hers back. Ron then quickly threw his back with what could have been a bit of an eye roll. The group continued to talk while Hermione grew quiet. To break the tension, McGonagall poured one more set of drinks for the trio, abstaining from joining them this time.

Ron, picking up on the trend, decided it was his turn to toast. "To the death of that bloody tosser." He stopped and looked around and could tell that the group was less than thrilled with his toast, so he quickly added "And the freedom to finally live our lives." Then he drank his last shot of fire whiskey, and the group followed suit.

While the drink did not contain an enormous amount of alcohol, to the three in question it was the most they had ever drank. With the progression of the toasts, McGonagall was confident the students blood alcohol was sufficient, deciding it was time for phase two of the evening. "Now if you would all join me, I believe it is time to head to dinner."

"But what about our training?" inquired Hermione.

"That discussion shall continue after we eat." said the Headmistress firmly.

The group slowly trod to the dining hall. As they approached it was a much more lavish affair than they expected. Hermione was the first to enter and once inside she stopped to smell the bouquet of flowers that rarely adorned the hall. She progressed to the food and noticed the fare included much more variety. There were foods from around the world. She was especially excited about the baklava that she rarely got to eat at home due to her parents being dentists. She decided to start by having some aromatic tea and biscuits with honey before diving into the heavier fare.

Ron didn't notice the small accoutrements that weren't normally there. He took a plate and filled it with a bit of everything that was closest to him. This included large portions of beef bourguignon, deviled eggs, and even some fruit salad containing a mixture of berries. He had missed eating at Hogwarts and piled the food on and tucked in.

Harry had been a bit more selective. He couldn't care less about the small details, but he had learned that Hogwarts provided a good mixture of foods, and the ones closest to you might not be the ones to fill up on. He stood near the table looking the options up and down a few times to make sure he knew what he wanted. He decided to focus on a quality seafood meal with a few types of fish, and a small side of pasta that was dressed with some seasoned olive oil, peas, asparagus, and tree nuts.

McGonagall sat next to Harry and selected an assortment of food to eat while eyeing each of the trio in turn with a calculating glance. The conversation grew slightly louder as the final bit of Ogden's did its job. It was obvious that something was aggravating Ron as he threw in sarcastic comments and jabs at Hermione and her choice of food in between bites. As Hermione was finishing her tea and biscuits Ron uttered a particularly biting remark. Hermione screwed up her courage and loudly shouted "What is your problem, Ronald!?" and ran off crying without listening for a response.

Ron worked himself into a huff and took it out on Harry. "What is my problem she asks. As if you two don't know. You're supposed to be my friends. She's supposed to be my girlfriend. I saw you two you know. You're a bloody git Harry Potter."

"What are you going on about now Ron?" Harry said exasperated.

"I saw you on top of her in the infirmary. She could have at least broken up with me first. I know I am not Harry Potter, but I thought you were a better friend than that at least." muttered Ron.

Harry just shook his head, "You're a fool Ronald Weasley. I had just run in looking for Kreature and bumped into her in my hurry. NOTHING HAPPENED. We were laughing at the ridiculousness of it when you came in. We had assumed it was Madam Pomfrey. I know you can be thick, but give me a break. Good luck making this up to her you arse." and he stormed off towards Headquarters.

"Well you really messed that one up, Mr. Weasley." said the Headmistress as she kept eating. "You can stay here for the night if you need to, or else you may use my floo to return home. The password for the Gryffindor common room will be reset to 'fidelis' if you choose that option. It may not be my place, but you're in for a long year if you cannot get past your jealousy." She then wiped her mouth with her napkin and excused herself with a very cold, "Pardon me and good night."

Ron just sat there for a minute. He had seen them in the infirmary. The story Harry gave was plausible, but was it true? The bloody alcohol wasn't making this any easier. He decided to sleep on it and address the issue in the morning. There was no point in letting all of this food go to waste though, he kept eating before eventually retiring to his old bed in Gryffindor for the evening.

Harry reached the door to Headquarters to find the password didn't work. This put him in quite the predicament since it left him no way to get to Hermione and nowhere to sleep. After a few minutes of pacing, Harry got an idea. He ran outside the castle and faced the wall that his room was on. " _Accio Firebolt!_ " Harry yelled. His broom zoomed out the window toward him. As it neared, he jumped on and flew into his room. He could hear subtle sobs coming from Hermione's room. He slowly made his way to her room to find her sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. Harry knelt down in and slowly pushed her hair out of her eyes, placing it behind her ear. "Hermione?" Harry said opening the way for Hermione respond.

"What did I do? Why is he being like this?" Hermione squeaked between breaths.

"It wasn't Madam Pomfrey that saw us piled up on the floor. It was Ron. And well, you know Ron. He imagined the worst and acted like an arse." stated Harry.

"But why doesn't he trust me. Why wouldn't he just talk through it with me instead of acting that way?" asked Hermione.

"We both know he has always been a bit insecure. Being the youngest of six boys did that to him. It didn't help that on top of that his best friend is famous. Deep down, I think he feels you are too good for him. You're the smartest witch of our class, you're caring, and you're beautiful. He doesn't think much of himself, so he is waiting for you to realize that you could do better. We both know you don't see it like that, but that's been his perspective his whole life. It will take time to change." said Harry.

Hermione wiped her eyes and sighed. She gave a half-hearted laugh, "This bloody whiskey isn't helping me either. Maybe I should just go to bed."

"That's probably a good idea." said Harry as he stood up. He bent down and kissed the top of her head before leaving. As he approached the door he hesitated and turned around. "Um, Hermione... Could you tell me what the password is now?" Harry asked in a hesitant voice.

"Insufferable Know-it-all" said Hermione quietly.

Harry froze for a second, just staring into her eyes. Tears slowly began to well up in them, and Harry left angrier than he had ever been. This wasn't his normal self-righteous anger following a death eater attack. This anger was as cold and hard as tempered steel. The fact that Ron didn't trust Harry, he could live with. The fact that he played off Hermione's insecurities in order to hurt her, he couldn't. This left the unanswered question of 'What did that mean?'


	17. Sticks and stones

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 17: Sticks and stones**

Ron awoke with a start, fell off the bed, and realized he could not breathe. Something was around his neck, choking the life out of him. Looking around the empty room for someone to attack; he attempted to stand up in a defensive position. As his feet touched the floor, the tension lifted and his breathing became easier. Finally having enough oxygen to think clearly, he reached up and unwrapped the sheet from around his neck. Grateful no one was around to see the debacle, he cursed his luck and kicked the bed in frustration only adding to his humiliation as he began hopping on one foot holding his newly injured toes.

Truth be told, Ron had a miserable night. This was not to say it was anyone's fault save his own, but it was still a bad night. There was the fight with Hermione, the accusations he threw at Harry, and on top of that he barely gotten a wink of sleep. The bed felt lumpier than usual and he had a hunch the house elves had deliberately made it so. It was also midsummer and the heat in the dormitories was unbearable. This resulted in continual tossing and turning which likely set up his nearly disastrous fall this morning.

Even with all this in mind, he knew the worst was yet to come. Today required doing the thing he liked least in the world, apologizing...twice. The apology to Harry was down to a matter of routine; but this was his first apology to Hermione and it had to be good. He had screwed up badly, but what was he going to do? He made his way to the shower to think, and found that only the cold water seemed to be working this morning. Blasted elves...

Ron got dressed and wandered the halls looking for Hermione. Approaching the Head Boy and Head Girl's quarters, he saw Harry. Harry quickly made eye contact, muttered under his breath, and made sure to close the entrance to Headquarters before casting Ron an angry glance and storming out of the castle. That was odd for Harry, but he would deal with it later.

With Harry gone, it seemed like the best time to talk with Hermione. The entrance Percy had bragged about for over a year lie ahead, but, he did not know the password. Ron tried any and all magical references he could think of to no avail. Trying to think like Hermione was giving him a headache and he began muttering; "She's the brightest witch of our age, it bloody well could be anything." Ron gave a start as the suit of armor moved aside.

Walking into the common area, he found Hermione curled up in a chair reading. She was surprised to find Ron there and stared at him unsure of what to say. Finally in annoyance she slammed her book. "I can't believe Harry let you in. I'm going to hex him to oblivion when I see him next."

"He didn't let me in." Ron said sheepishly.

"That's worse. You guessed the password? I can't believe you, Ronald Weasley. I thought you had changed. You still think that little of me. I'm still just that insufferable know-it-all from first year to you?"

"Wait... No! What? You're not making sense. I came to apologize." said Ron back peddling.

Hermione stood and crossed her arms fixing Ron with a glare. "And in the process you guessed the password was 'insufferable know-it-all'. Doesn't seem like you want to apologize to me."

"I did no such thing. I was sitting there muttering about all of the bloody possibilities the brightest witch of the age could come up with and the suit of armor moved aside." said Ron confused.

"That makes no sense. I clearly set the password last night." said Hermione

"Hogwarts could have sensed I needed to get in." Ron said weakly, grasping for straws.

"Or the Headmistress or Harry changed it. Well either way let's get this over with. Say what you came to say Ron." said Hermione pursing her lips and raising her eyebrows.

"Hermione, I would like to apologize... I.. I come from a family of five older brothers, you know? I have been passed down everything I own and I might as well have been passed over in favor of the younger sister that mum always wanted. I am used to being second best. You are bloody brilliant and Harry is the savior of the wizarding world... but who the hell am I? Who am I to deserve you? One day you will wise up and see me like you saw me that first day on the train. Just a red headed boy in hand me down clothes and a smudge of dirt on my nose. I don't have much to offer. I am working a steady job, but my goal is to get by day to day. I don't have the desire to change the wizarding world, let alone save it. I can say for certain that I am less than the wizard you deserve, but I will do my best in the future to be the man you need me to be. I was a right fool last night and I will likely be a fool again, but I hope to still be your fool in the future." Ron inhaled deeply and sighed. Hermione was silent. She was staring, calculating. She was still upset but not nearly as upset as she was last night. As no response came, Ron nodded to Hermione in acquiescence and turned to leave. As he took his first step, Hermione caught his hand.

"Ron, let me make one thing clear. I will forgive you this time, but there are no more chances. Harry and I are friends, which will never change. You need to accept that I care for you in a way totally different and separate from Harry. Is that reasonable? The only one who sees you as second best is you. If you can't get over that, this will never work."

"I will try Hermione, but it's hard to change overnight... It's going to take time. Can we have more time?" asked Ron hesitantly.

"Oh Ronald..." Hermione said while throwing her hands around his neck.

***HPGoBP***

Harry had woken up feeling pretty good. That was, until he remembered the previous night. While Ron's behavior wasn't out of character, Hermione's resulting anguish left him seeing red. He had always thought of Ron as his best friend, but as he lay in bed analyzing his time at Hogwarts, Harry had to reconsider if he deserved that title. Ron had accused him of putting his own name in the Goblet of Fire, Ron had left them while hunting horcruxes, and now Ron had accused Harry of stealing Hermione from him. Why wouldn't Ron trust him?

Hermione, on the other hand, had always been there for him. There was that one incident where she turned in his Firebolt, but she thought she was doing what was best for him, even if he disagreed. If things went south between Ron and Hermione, he wasn't sure what he would do. With his current headache, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to forgive Ron. His emotions were running rampant and he needed to get out of the castle. As he left Headquarters, he saw Ron approaching slowly. He looked away as he muttered to the suit of armor to change the password to 'Brightest witch of our age' and hurried away.

Having practiced magical control in his room since meeting with Ollivander, he was going to see if he had better luck around actual trees. He untied the strings of the marble sack Ollivander provided for finding wand wood, took Shel out of his cage, and placed his wand inside the bag. He entered the Forbidden Forest, covering ground quickly. With feet on autopilot, he was not paying much attention to the bowtruckle in his outstretched hand. As the journey progressed, he continued muttering under his breath, rehashing his frustration over and over again. Suddenly, Shel leapt from his hand. Harry turned quickly and watched as the bowtruckle landed on a nearby tree. The species of trees were not taught in herbology, but the overall look reminded him of an elm tree planted at a local park near Privet Drive. He approached the spot Shel had landed on and focused on reaching out to his magic. Having worked himself up over the last fifteen minutes, his emotions drove him to focus an impressive amount of magic into his hand. He could sense the tree reacting, almost calling to him. In his anger and excitement he willed his magic back toward him. He could see and feel the tree respond immediately. Unlike with Ollivander, the pull was strong and quick. The tree shot a chunk of wood toward Harry. The reaction was like the opposite side of the tree had been hit with a mallet and a rough dowel shot out. Harry envisioned his magic wrapping blindly around the wood and severing the branch form the rear. He felt the tree resist, so he kept repetitively pushing his magic at the branch, much like a logger does with an axe. This required thirty seconds of focus before Harry was rewarded as he felt the piece of wood fall into his hand. Upon its touch, Harry looked at the wood. He wasn't sure if it would work or not, but it was a start. The main problem was that it was a bit thicker than a normal wand, being between one and half to two inches thick. It wasn't as smooth as wood samples Ollivander had produced either, and it was longer than normal since it appeared to be between twenty to twenty-two inches. Harry wasn't sure if he would make it into a wand, but it was worth keeping none the less. He summoned Shel with his wand and continued into the woods, deep in thought but a little less on edge due to his unexpected progress.

As he went further into the woods he once again retrieved Shel from his cage. As he proceeded, a sense of deja vu came to mind. He could feel sticks beneath his feet and hear twigs snap in a nearby alcove that seemed to be haunted with unnerving laughter. He entered the hollow and his memory sharpened in a flood emotions. He had entered this very hollow before and by the same path. Just to the right was the beech tree where he had hesitated for a brief moment before completing the walk to his death. As he noticed the tree, so did Shel. The bowtruckle made a beeline for the tree and Harry stared intently. He carefully trod closer. With emotions focused on that night, he reached towards the tree willing his magic into his hand. As his memory focused, so did the magical energy. Harry's power pulsed with his emotions as he remembered his heart thundering in his chest while approaching Voldemort. He slowly pulled the power back towards his body while recounting emotionally succumbing to the inevitable. His concentration continued with a pulse then a slow pull back, a pulse, and another pull. This continued until he could feel his magic approaching his elbow. He felt the thrill of rushing magic as he remembered being hit with the killing curse. His magic swirled around the wood as he remembered being pulled in the great beyond. And then there was silence. The world hung in slow motion as he chose his path. He remembered his friends and the world that needed him. His resolve hardened and formed into a point of power and the focus cleaved the wood from the tree. Harry was startled out of his memory as he felt the wood fall into his hand. He looked down at his hand and stared at his new creation. It was in stark contrast to the previous piece of wood he had collected. Harry could see how his magic had pulsed through the undulations in the wood. The final swirl of emotions was smoothly etched into the wood resulting in a beautiful future wand. He stored it in his marble bag and placed Shel back into his cage. When he turned to leave, a slight shine caught his eye. He did a double take at the smooth stone at his feet. He reached down to pull the ring out of the dirt, brushed it off, and realized he was once again holding the resurrection stone. He hadn't planned on finding it, but he took it anyway. Maybe his family could provide him with some much needed advice.

He was deep in thought as he headed back to the castle and was nearly out of the Forbidden Forest before he remembered to take Shel out of the cage one last time. His trek was at a much slower pace as daylight seemed to filter through the remaining trees. His hesitance was fueled by the fact he was not in a hurry to run into Ron. As he breached the final foliage, he hadn't found any additional wand wood. He once again untied the marble sack and went to put Shel away. As he did so, the bowtruckle got that glazed look in his eyes and took off. Harry followed behind him in hot pursuit. Unlike previous times, Shel did not head toward the forest. He continued toward the castle, and Harry had to stop short of the bowtruckle's quarry. Harry watch as Shel carefully scaled the Whomping Willow. He mentally took note of where the bowtruckle had landed and then removed his wand to summon him back to his cage. Once he was safely stowed, Harry levitated a nearby rock to trigger the knot in the tree that caused it to freeze. He then approached the willow to retrieve another piece of wand wood. Try as he might, he couldn't focus his magic. Too many thoughts were going through his head. After trying to the point of frustration, Harry gave up and decided to return to the school. His newfound talent seemed to be centered around focused, intense emotions; and he was spent for the day and had lost the ability to care.


	18. Branching Out

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 18: Branching Out**

Harry had slipped back into Headquarters and noticed Hermione was no longer hiding in her chair retreating behind a book. He also didn't hear her crying in her room, which meant that most likely she and Ron had made up. While he was happy for Hermione, he wasn't ready to talk to Ron yet. How many times did he need to prove himself to Ron after all? Apparently at least one more. His anger was fading, but his frustration remained. Ron had been his friend for seven years and they had been through so much already, this would all be water under the bridge by next week, but it wasn't next week yet.

As he walked into his room, he noticed a crested owl waiting in his window. As he approached the owl, it stretched out its leg for Harry to remove the attached parchment. The paper contained a quick letter from Atticus stating that the terms of the contract had been agreed upon and if he was willing, they would like to meet at Dragon Broom's research facility to sign the deal that evening at seven. He sent a quick reply with the owl and figured this would be a great excuse to get out of the castle. He quickly showered and then sat down to continue his self-assigned summer reading until dinner. Having completed his book on wards, he had started on _Magical Remnants_. He had found the material harder to cover than _Wards: The Silent Sentinel_ , but he thought it would be dead useful for his career; he just needed to start practicing it.

Later, he found himself roughly spit onto the floor following a less than pleasant trip in the floo. After brushing himself off, he thought something was amiss. He looked around and saw a very shoddy fireplace behind him. It appeared to be quickly assembled for utility purposes, rather than aesthetics. Using some of the basic principles of deduction, Harry came to the conclusion he must have said something wrong. To his left was a pile of hay, to his right a tractor and the whole building was covered in red paint. He could not understand why someone would install a floo connection in a barn, but luckily there was floo powder on the mantel, and Harry made his way to leave. He stepped into the flames and called his destination. The flames roared but when they subsided, he hadn't moved. He went to reach for another handful of floo powder, but as he did a voice called out to him from above. "Mister Potter, please don't waste the floo powder, you are in the right location! This is a start-up business after all, resources are precious."

Harry walked forward and turned around. Almost directly above the fireplace was a loft that had a multitude of work benches and a plethora of tools. Right smack dab in the middle of the loft was a table with four chairs, currently three of them were taken by Atticus, Henry, and Demetri. Harry approached the group and took the remaining chair. Atticus immediately started talking, "Thank you for joining us Mr. Potter. To summarize the documents in front of you, you promise to provide Mr. Poletmetla with advertising in the form of four promotional photo shoots and demonstrations of broom handling for Dragon Broom clientele following each Hogwarts quidditch match over the next year. Images from the photo shoots will become his property for sole use of promoting Dragon Broom sales. Rights to these images are nontransferable and in short cannot be used at his discretion aside from use in such advertisements. We have added language in the contract that states the images cannot be used, and advertisements cannot be made, that would tarnish you or your reputation. In return, Dragon Brooms will provide four custom seeker brooms per Madam Hooch's design, increased permanent seating surrounding the Hogwarts quidditch pitch, financial compensation for a security team to accompany clients of Dragon Brooms while on Hogwarts grounds, and one custom designed broom for you. Mr. Poletmetla has also agreed to teach you how to make the brooms and will provide consultation on any brooms you choose to make. Though this is dependent on you signing a nondisclosure agreement with a non-compete clause. In addition any brooms created for you or by you will fall under your unique line of brooms named after the dragon of your choosing. This line will not be made available for any other customer and all brooms must be maintained as your property or destroyed. If you wish you may also enter into contract to work for the company with terms to be discussed at that time."

Harry sat at the table taking it all in for a minute. "I think it's all in order, but why the clause about all brooms in my line needing to be maintained in my possession or destroyed?"

Demetri jumped in "Liability and maintaining clients Mr. Potter. I cannot assure every detail of the brooms you create. If someone were to be hurt, I would not want them to come knocking on my door looking to be compensated since I am the one teaching you. The more economic reason is I would prefer your friends come to me to buy brooms, not receive your old ones."

"I guess that's fair. Where do I sign?" asked Harry.

"That will happen after you provide one more piece of information Mr. Potter." stated Demetri.

"And what would that be?" Harry said warily.

"The name of your line of brooms. You need to pick a Dragon. If you need help, I have brought a catalogue of all of the known species." said Demetri dryly.

"Hungarian Horntail" said Harry without a thought. "Also, I know it is not part of this contract, if possible could the school brooms be the Norwegian Ridgebacks?"

"Hungarian Horntail it is. As to the Norwegian Ridgebacks, I don't see why not, but there seems to be a story there. Care to elaborate?" asked Demetri.

"Mr. Potter, as your lawyer, I feel it's best to advise you not to comment at this time." chimed in Atticus.

"It's ok Atticus. Let's just say I have a friend at Hogwarts that's a big fan of dragons and that breed in particular." said Harry.

After Hungarian Horntail was added in the contract as Harry's personal line of Dragon Brooms, the contracts were signed. Demetri open a bottle of champagne and they toasted to good fortune. Shortly thereafter, Atticus and Henry bade adieu and left Harry and Demetri to discuss the design of his broom.

"Please stand up Mr. Potter, and I will secure the location then we can get down to business." stated Demetri nervously. Demetri tapped a few key tools on his workbench and Harry heard the barn doors close, and the floo appeared to be bricking itself up. When Harry felt a magic field go up around him, he immediately took a defensive stance and trained his eye on Demetri, ready to fight.

Demetri, on the other hand, just stared back at Harry, unflinching. He shook his head and laughed, "No need to be alarmed, Mr. Potter. Just making sure all of the trade secrets stay that way. You are free to leave when you wish." Harry visibly backed down, but kept his wand in his hand.

"Sorry about that, it's been a rough few years." Demetri nodded and waved his wand around a few times and then looked at Harry excited. Harry just stared back confused, "Should something have happened?"

"Oh, right, sorry about that... Dragon Brooms Manufacturing is located in the loft of the barn at Dragon Brooms Headquarters." said Demetri.

Harry heard the words and looked around, now there were all sorts of machinery stored around a loft that looked three times as big as it had the minute before.

"It's under the fidelius charm. Very smart." replied Harry in awe.

"How about I overview the process for you today, and you can think about your design and get back to me?" Without waiting for Harry's response, Demetri continued, "Here you see the prototype I showed to the ministry. What do you notice is different from traditional brooms?"

"The obvious answers are that the tail-twigs are covered in something, and you've added handlebars and a seat. It seems in short you made it less aerodynamic. I hope your broom can live up to your promises Mr. Poletmetla." said Harry unimpressed.

"Don't judge her too harshly just yet my dear boy. There is a method to my madness." said Demetri as he waved his wand at a latched door. "Take her for a spin, but I warn you... I would take it slow and try not to pull any tricks until you've adjusted to riding a Dragon... If you get lost, look for the red sparks, I will send some up every few minutes to help you find your way back."

Harry hopped on and was out the barn like a shot nearly falling off. By his estimates, he would have normally slide right off his Firebolt, and figured there must be a sticking charm on the seat holding him in place. He regained his grip on the broom as he normally would, but the control seemed a little off. He tried a quick turn and somehow felt off center. The broom felt heavier and he could tell he was forcing turns the broom did not want to do. Even the school brooms handled better than this one. Figuring the handle bars were there for a reason, he adjusted his grip and immediately felt more in control. He started to lean into another turn, but found the broom reacted quicker than his body could. He was used to forcing a turn by swinging the broom around, but it seemed to rotate around a midpoint now. Harry slowed the broom and hovered in place contemplating how far he could push this broom. He went to turn quickly and test the brooms acceleration and found himself rotating around the access, breaking his concentration. His mind went it circles at the thought, and he unknowingly pushed the broom to rotate faster. With increase speed Harry's stomach started to turn and he willed the broom to a stop. Then to get less dizzy he briefly forced the broom in the opposite direction. As he caught his breath he saw red sparks in the distance and decided to head back. He aimed the broom for a spot directly above the sparks and pushed the broom as hard as he could. He found himself wishing for better protection from the wind as he accelerated. As he reached a point directly over the barn, he pulled a barrel roll and forced the broom into a dive. The ground was closing in fast, he quickly a realized that he couldn't gauge how much time he needed to stop and wished he had thought of that a few seconds sooner. Images of parachutes, brakes, and reverse thrusters came to mind. To his astonishment, the broom followed his thinking and started to push back on gravity. He was at a full stop ten meters from the barn and then found himself falling upwards if it was possible. He was gaining altitude again though significantly less quickly than when going forward. With the revelation, this broom came with a reverse function, he willed the broom to a stop and then brought the broom to a smooth landing in the barn. "Bloody Hell mate" is all Harry could say for a good five minutes.

Demetri could see he was calming down, so with a cocky smile he restarted the conversation, "You were correct that the shape it less aerodynamic, but it has significantly more horsepower. Wouldn't you say?"

"Horsepower, agility, the ability to go in reverse; it's like no other broom I have ever been on. The handling will be the hardest thing to get used to. It seems to react before I can even try and make the broom do what I want. It's almost reading by thoughts, kind of freaky really." Harry added in awe of broom.

"The changes are both incredibly simple at their most basic nature, yet insanely complex to link together to create the broom in front of you. The big name broom companies have increased speed and agility two ways over the years. The first is the shape of the broom's bristles. This shape impacts how the accelerating force is released from the broom, ultimately lends itself to either a quicker broom or a more agile broom. A streamlined force results in greater speed, while a wider dispersion lends itself to more control. The second key attribute is the magical strength of the wizard casting the charm. For years the sole focus was on how powerful the wizards at each company were. In time, this was matched with the ability to link magic through various magical artifacts. Currently the greatest link created has been between two witches and wizards. Current limitations in the artifacts seem to force the companies to rely on a strong emotional bond, and generally this requires a married couple. This has created a second arms race for the most powerful couples the companies can find. Rarely are there major breakthroughs in the craft anymore, it's more in the formation of new power couples that the companies advance their products over the competition."

"As you have not mentioned a spouse, I am going to assume that wasn't how your broom was made." Harry glibly added into the conversation.

"Of course not. The simplicity is that I have just cast the charm individually on each bristle of the broom. The more complex part of the answer is threefold and includes creating equal force throughout the broom, a runic code to translate the rider's intention, and a magic compatible matrix interlinking all parts of the broom." At this point Demetri could tell Harry was going to be in over his head, but took a deep breath and pressed on anyway. "The first piece has to do with making sure the forces are equal on both sides of the broom. If you put 90% power on a bristle on the left and 80% power on a bristle on the right, the broom would always veer to the right since it was underpowered. This clearly would not be ideal. To ensure even casts I have taken precautions and created a magical device that transmits one cast and evenly disperses the charm amongst all pieces placed inside of it. To get into the technicalities, each broom has four steering foci and the main propulsion. The four foci are located in various parts of the broom. There is one at the tip and tail of the main part of the broom handle and one in each of the handles I have attached to this model. All the steering foci require twenty-six bristles each. I prefer to create eight bristles at a time with around 20% power. This requires a total of thirteen charms or five days worth of work to create the necessary magical power. The main source of thrust is tied into the traditional bristles at the tail of the broom. There are five different groupings of bristles created to provide the acceleration. Each grouping has successively more bristles, but each grouping receives a total of 80% power. This requires another five days worth of magical power. With the power variations I used on this particular broom, I calculated that I could go almost four and a half times faster than I could if I used all of my magic to create an equivalent of a manufactured broom from one wizard. It takes 660% of my total magical stores and ten days of work plus recovery in-between to make, which overall rounds out to about a month. If you want to compare that to a Firebolt, I would guess you are looking at a broom that can out stripe the competition by at least two times the speed with better handling."

Harry's mouth fell open at the final numbers. If that is what Demetri could do with a month, how much faster could he make his own broom, if he took extra time and put more power behind the spells?

"Based on the look you are giving me, I would advise caution in your eventual broom creation. I will help you with your endeavors, but with the charms currently added to this particular broom, it could not go too much faster without starting to worry about your safety. The broom can channel some ambient magic, but faster speeds will require some power from the wizard which can quickly eat up your reserves. Also, you risk potential biological failure based on the forces you could put your body through if safety is overlooked. Too much acceleration and you could black out, too much speed and you could break the charms keeping you on the broom. Both options are not advised if you wish a long life."

Harry nodded his understanding and allowed Demetri to proceed, "The second piece is a very complicated runic array carved into the broom handle. This is the hardest part of the creation. The runes link the rider to the broom and permit it to take mental cue allowing each of the magical components to work in tandem. Without the runes, the propulsion charms would not fire as one. Essentially the runes process the rider's intentions and then send them out as a unified message across the broom.

The final complexity unites all of the aspects we have talked about into a single magical entity. Traditional brooms have the propulsion charm cast on the complete broom, once in contact with the broom; the command is seamless as the magic doesn't sense a lack of continuity. Dragon brooms on the other hand, have a majority of the magic cast solely on the bristles. To connect the rider to the runic array and subsequently to all parts of the broom, the broom is covered in a resin. This resin is very similar to the material that makes up amber. In fact, the resin comes from magical trees. As the magic runs through the trees it also flows through the resin seamlessly once hardened. The broom is assembled and held together by a permanent sticking charm and then dipped in the resin. Artificial conditions are then created to harden the material. Ultimately the extra resin is removed; the tip of the broom is carved to replicate the head of the broom's name sake dragon, and finally is polished. The whole broom is then dipped into a hardening potion that makes it nearly indestructible. At this point, the process is over and the broom should require little to no maintenance. Any questions, Mr. Potter?"

"I think I got the general idea but you lost me on the rest. Based on timelines, how do you plan on making four brooms before the start of the school year?" Harry replied skeptically.

"Well, I have been making bristles for years now when I was able. I have various strengths I can match to make a broom meeting your school's needs. Ultimately, the more power a customer would like in their broom, the more it will cost them. For your school brooms, my guess is that Madam Hooch will want a broom with good maneuverability, but with a max speed that is a bit reduced compared to the broom you just flew. The most time consuming part will be shaping the face of the dragon following the assembly. Overall I think I can have them ready in a matter of weeks once the final design is complete."

"You're probably right on that front, but my broom might take more time. I would like to help build it if possible, but I need to have something to demonstrate after each Quidditch match. How are we going to proceed for that part of the contract?" asked Harry.

"I will be happy to work with you Harry; in the meantime, I am going to give a model similar to the one you flew today. That way you can practice on it and be able to put it through the paces when it comes time. Your demo model should be completed within the next few days now that you have selected your line of dragon. Is there anything else you hoped to discuss this evening?" Demetri managed to say while trying to cover a yawn.

"No, you've given me a lot to think about. I believe I've seen the future today Demetri, and there are more dragons in it than I could have ever imagine." Harry said extending his hand to Demetri with a grin."


	19. Social-light-weight

Disclaimer: Harry Potter, its characters, and the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling. I only lay claim to the situations I am about to put them in for your entertainment. I hope you enjoy my writing but warn you it will sound different than JK Rowling's style.

 **Chapter 19: Social-light-weight**

Harry was getting ready for bed when he heard a tapping at the window. He moved to open it and an owl stretched out its leg. Harry untied the note and the owl was off again. The note was signed with a kiss and said:

 _Finally memorized playbook. Practice is done at three, but I'll be ready by five. DON'T be late._

A grin brook across his face, but he realized he had very few details to go on. How dressed up did he need to be? Did he need to be dressed in wizard's robes or muggle clothes? This could be harder than he thought. It would probably be better to error on the side of muggle clothes… Robes would be more out of place in the muggle world than muggle clothes would be in the wizarding world. Muggle clothes were the safer option, but how dressed up should he be? It was their first real date in a while, largely because Ginny had been busy with training most of the summer, but probably the most formal date they'd have in their relationship. Based on the use of capital letters, Harry guessed she was as excited for the date as he was, so likely more formal than normal, but he couldn't imagine it would be a black tie affair. Harry finally decided on his tan sports coat, a nice dress shirt, and some blue jeans. It was a nice middle of the road approach.

That night Harry Potter found it hard to fall asleep. He tossed, turned, and checked the clock every two minutes until just after midnight. Finally, he mercifully drifted off into dreams of flying on his broomstick. Every time he found the golden snitch, he seemed to catch Ginny's eye and veer closer to her. The golden ball didn't have the same allure it used to have; his eye was on a different prize.

Harry awoke early the next morning, and was immediately disappointed. It was much earlier in the day than he had hoped, so instead he had a bit of a lie in and willed time to move faster. As the morning was winding down, he dragged himself out of bed to get a late breakfast. He was getting ready to leave, when an owl delivered a copy of the daily prophet in addition to a sealed letter. Harry didn't normally get the paper, so he was surprised at its arrival. There was a note on the front of the edition that said, "This issue is on the house, Mr. Potter. The thanks and congratulations of the Daily Prophet come with it."

As he removed the note, the front headline read "Harry Potter and the Heroes of Hogwarts to Receive Orders of Merlin". After rereading the headline he remained surprised to learn he would be receiving the Order of Merlin the following week. He wasn't surprised that he was receiving it, more that he found out from the Daily Prophet. He remembered that he received two pieces of mail that morning. He moved the paper aside and confirmed his suspicions. The letter he received appeared to be an invitation from the Minister for Magic. As he went to open it, the letter transformed into the shape of a trumpet and blasted a few notes prior to announcing, "Mr. Harry James Potter, the Minister for Magic has chosen to bestow the Order of Merlin upon you. You are hereby invited to a ceremony celebrating the sacrifices made to stop Thomas Marvolo Riddle. Please reply with your acceptance or regrets to attend this event." The letter then unfolded and provided Harry with the location, date, and time of the event. In addition there were directions of how to respond to the ministry and information pertaining to the number of guests he may bring to the ceremony.

"Well this should be interesting" Harry said to himself. He didn't know what Kingsley had planned, but he knew he would be paraded around like cattle for this. He had agreed to it, so there was nothing to do now but grit his teeth and bare it. The two questions that remained were who all made the guest list and who else was being recognized? He would need to make sure Ginny was going; he was going to need a friendly face to get through it all. He spent a good part of the afternoon speculating about the ceremony and finalizing plans for the evening. Finally it became time to get ready.

He took a quick shower and tried to steal a page from Hermione's book and magic his hair down. He hadn't thought far enough ahead to buy Sleekeazy's Hair Potion like Hermione had for the Yule Ball, but he did try a few charms with minimal success. He checked his appearance in the mirror one more time before starting the walk to the edge of the school wards. Entering via floo seemed like poor taste for a date, and he always seemed to make a mess of himself as he failed to stick the landing. He decided to apparate.

A few minutes before five, Harry arrived at his destination. He knocked on the door and heard some scrambling and shouting from behind the door. Abruptly it was swung open and he was met with a curt, "You're a few minutes early. You'll have to wait."

"Hello to you too Jewley. And may I ask what has you out of sorts this evening?" asked Harry.

"Well our Gin Gin has informed me she is skipping our team party at the pub this evening. She's been too busy cuddled up to that playbook to join us till now" added Jewley.

"But is it truly a party if it happens nearly every night? I can catch the next one tomorrow." chimed in Ginny. "Ready to go Harry?"

Harry turned around and his breath caught. She was in a light green summer dress, with emerald green shoes, and her hair elegantly put up in a knot. Her outfit was set off with a string of pearls around her neck and pearl earrings. "Wow Ginny, you look lovely" said Harry as he held the door for Ginny. "We may be able to stop by at the end of the night if you will all still be there Jewley." Ginny gave Harry a questioning look.

"If we'll still be there?" said Jewley amused. "I don't think you have to worry about that. The real question is if you can stay up past your bedtime, because if it's not daylight yet the odds are we'll still be there."

"We'll have to see where the night takes us, have a good evening Hammer" Ginny added with definite finality in her tone of voice as she took control of the conversation and led Harry out the door.

As they proceeded down the street, Harry was surprised to find Ginny seemed to be leading the way. He had come up with plans, but it appeared so did Ginny. He would let it play out of now, he always had a back up if she was just getting away from the apartment. "So how is professional quidditch life? What's it like?"

"I remember you telling me about the team when Oliver was a captain at Hogwarts… Imagine that for ten hours a day, plus the team pushing you to learn the plays, plus strength and endurance training, and that doesn't include the added feedback from the actual coach. They keep telling me the first few months is the worst, and then you get into a routine. The physical training has already gotten better and after the Hammer showed be a trade secret, my hands aren't nearly as sore from holding onto the broom for as long as we have to." Said Ginny with a tired but happy grin.

"Trade secret huh? Nothing you couldn't share with the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain by chance?" said Harry intentionally side stepping to bump her shoulder slightly while also moving a bit closer.

"I don't know… the word around the water cooler is you are trying to make quidditch more fair for all of the teams. Something about new brooms for all of the seekers. Wouldn't sharing this with you compromise that goal? New Gryffindor's can work through the pain like all of the previous students, their practice isn't as long as ours is." Ginny added while lying her head on Harry's shoulder.

Harry was shocked. Was Ginny really not going to tell him? This wasn't really a strategic advantage, this would just help the players be more comfortable. Could it really be a trade secret? Harry's mind continued spinning until he heard Ginny start to laugh.

"It was a joke Harry. The secret is a good pair of quidditch gloves for prevention and a certain potion placed on the hands to help heal them. I don't know who found out this worked, but it's brilliant." She turned and looked Harry dead in the eyes and said "Barnabas' Bowel Brew".

Harry looked at her askance, "Are you just joking around again? You don't have to tell me Ginny, but don't try to trick me into putting a laxative onto my team's hands. I don't need some of it being absorbed and them stuck in the loo for half of practice."

"No joke, you can even check our bathroom when we get back. There is always a bottle on the counter for after practice. I don't know why it works, but it seems to hydrate the skin and help it recover immediately. Look, I don't even have any calluses on my hands after flying all summer." added Ginny.

Harry slowly traced her hand with his fingers. Ginny was transfixed by the process, slowly watching his delicate, but deliberate actions. They stood there for nearly a minute before he realized they were standing in the middle of the street. He forced himself out of the moment, interlaced his fingers in hers, and kept walking. They continued to talk about practice and the team until they reached what must have been their destination. "All of the team says this is the best restaurant in town. They say it may be a bit over priced, but there is no better food around. Luckily, I haven't been out with the team due to all of my studying. As part of a professional team, nearly everything is paid for day to day. I guess what I am saying is we will only go in here, if you agree to let me pay. I have a job and money for the first time in my life, and I want to celebrate by taking you out to dinner. Are you ok with that Harry?"

Harry was a little confused. The only thing he knew about dating was that generally the man paid. This was his and Ginny's first real date, so he felt like he should be the one paying for dinner, but did it really matter? He looked in her eyes and could tell she was nervous. This was what she wanted, and he wanted to make her happy after all... Then why was it so hard to just say ok? He could feel the tension building as he finally swallowed his prided and nodded his head. He could see the relief in her eyes and decided a little levity was needed. "That's fine, but I don't want you to think this is going to happen all of the time. I have money too and I don't want anyone to think I am a kept man, living off my professional athlete girlfriend's money and all. They might get the wrong impression you know? Think I am just a no-good lay-a-bout that does nothing for society but makes up stories." He said while adding a wink and holding the door open for her.

"Ah you see Mr. Potter. Your stories would be a bit more believable if you weren't always the hero. Nobody does as many foolhardy things that you claim. If half are true I would swoon…" Ginny said mockingly as she gave Harry a wink back.

The playful banter continued as they entered the restaurant. As the approached the maître d', Ginny led the conversation. "May we have a table for two please?"

The maître d' was working on something and started to reply with a smile which quickly faltered as he took in the young couple in front of him. "Do you have reservation… Ms…?"

"It's Ms. Ginerva Weasley, but no we do not. Is that going to be a problem?" Ginny asked starting to look crestfallen.

"Our restaurant is overbooked; you may have better luck down the street. I hear the local pub's fare is appreciated by the younger residents." said the man condescendingly.

Harry quickly saw what was going on but wasn't going to have anyone treat Ginny this way. "Excuse me sir, surely you can make an exception to the newest member to Puddlemere United's team. Ginny is one of their up-and coming chasers and this restaurant comes highly recommended by her teammates."

"Be that as it may, we are booked tonight." The man said with gritted teeth.

"May I speak to the manager please." Inquired Harry.

"I'm sorry, but she is busy at the moment. You will need to come back later." said the maître d'. "I am going to have to ask you to leave." The man moved to physically usher the couple out the door.

"You don't want to push me." Harry said to the man in front of him.

"I don't know who you think you are kid, but don't make me take you down and call the aurors." said the mairtre d'.

"Do you not know who he is? Do you think he's scared of you? After defeating Voldemort himself, what makes you think you will intimidate him?" Ginny added.

Harry winced as he was drawn into the spotlight. He watched as the man's eyes slowly wander to his forehead. Harry moved the hair from in front of his scar and the man gulp as his skinned turned a ghostly shade of pale before passing out. Harry made a moved to catch the man, but was too slow. The man loudly crumbled into a heap on the ground. The sound of running feet could be heard as Harry tried to wake the man up.

A stocky lady was there in seconds and immediately pointed her wand at Harry. "You have some explaining to do. What's going on here?"

The maître d' was slowly coming to and did his best to respond "I was just going to find a table for Mr. Potter and Ms….."

"Weasley" added Ginny added a little annoyed.

"Yes, Well I was just going make sure our best table was set for Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley when I felt a bit woozy and passed out." the maitre d' added sheepishly.

"I'm sorry for the trouble Mr. Potter. I apologize for the inconvenience; please let me know if there is anything I can do to make your time here more enjoyable." Said the Lady to the couple. She started to hustle off but stopped briefly "And David, please make sure Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley receive a bottle of champagne on the house."

"Yes ma'am." Said David the maitre d' demurely. He waited a few second for his boss to disappear around the corner. "I will add my apologies to those you have already received. I will do my best to make this up to you tonight. I will personally take care of all of your needs this evening. Please follow me."

It took a few minutes for the mood to deescalate, but slowly the evening became more enjoyable. The conversation flowed and the service they received was unparalleled. David had not been lying when he said the restaurant was busy, but he kept his promise to take care of the couple. David anticipated their needs and their glasses were never empty and David gave them dessert for free in addition to the champagne. For the two hours they spent in the restaurant there was no one else in the whole world, just each other. No responsibilities, no stresses, just shared smiles, candlelight flickering in their eyes, and the endless possibilities of young love.

The couple exited the restaurant hand in hand. Ginny was pressed up against Harry, leaning into his arm. They walked in silence for a minute when Ginny asked "Penny for your thoughts?"

Harry gave her a smile at her use of the phrase he taught her, "Just enjoying the moment. It was nearly perfect. The food was great, the company even better, I just wish we didn't have to use my name to get in."

"I know you hate that you're famous. I didn't even mean it that way, I just couldn't believe he had the nerve to stand up to the feared Vanquisher of Voldemort. I got caught up in the moment and didn't mean manipulate the situation; I just wanted him to back off. I'm sorry if it made you uncomfortable, that wasn't my intention." Ginny said with an uneasy smile.

"I know you didn't. Let's not focus on that now. We have a bar to get to and certain team members to prove wrong." Harry said with a grin. "So where to?"

"The Drink" Ginny dead panned.

"The Drink?" asked Harry confused.

"Technically it's called Drink Inn and Dining, since they are an inn and pub, but I'm gonna warn you… it's not know for its quality rooms or food. Hence we focus on the first part, _The Drink_ is quick to say and adequately describes the only reason to go there. Dine at your own risk. The Hammer claims she had to go to St. Mungos once because the food poisoning she got was so bad." Ginny warned

They walked slightly farther with Harry deep in thought of how grimy of an establishment this bar must be until they reached what appeared to be an old stone mill house. He looked around, but Ginny was directing him towards the front door. A wooden sign swung over the door crudely broadcasting the establishment's name. As they moved closer, the sound of laughter and music grew and the smell of spilt ale hung in the air.

Ginny lead the way to the team, winding through the tables and patrons and turning a corner. As Harry caught Jewley's eye, he was immediately tackled to the ground by an inebriated Oliver Wood. "If it isn't Harry friggin Potter! How ya doin Harry!"

"I'm good Oliver, clearly not as good as you, but good." Harry said as he stood up and dusted himself off before extending a hand to help up his former teammate.

As soon as he was standing, he was handed a pint by Jewley. "As part of your introduction to the team, you are required to drink every time you meet someone you don't know. As I believe the total people you know here is three, the rest should all be causes to drink and celebrate new friends. Your goal is to still be standing by the nights end. Good luck" Jewley said with a glint in her eye.

Harry soon found out there were many regulars in addition to the team. He quickly finished his first pint and was onto a second. It seemed everyone wanted an individual introduction and to shake his hand, and he was pretty sure he met the same person at least twice if not three times. The introductions went on, and he registered a few names here and there, but mostly they got lost in a sea of faces. Throughout the night only one of the men gave him pause. The man was extremely muscular with a shaved head. He was a quiet fellow who didn't seem to pay much attention to Harry, which he appreciated. That is until he caught what was distracting the man. He was unabashedly staring at Ginny from across the bar. Harry was feeling rather put out by the man's behavior and a little courageous from all of the ale. He walked right up to him and stuck out his hand. "Pardon me, you may not know me, but I'm Harry, Harry Potter. I'm Ginny Weasley's boyfriend." Harry let the last sentence hang in the air for a second and watched the man's eyes quickly dart away ashamed of being caught. Harry decided to leave it at that and not make a big deal out of the situation. "And well, I am told the first time you come and drink with the team, you literally have to drink with every member of the team, and anyone else you meet. So it's nice to meet you…"

"Peter Doughty, but you can call me Rock." He said as he firmly gripped Harry's hand and glared through a fake smile.

Harry had a bit too much to drink and decided he couldn't out muscle Peter, so he did the next best thing. He focused on his magic and forced a large concentration of it into his hand. He watched the electric current seem to jump from his hand to Peters and watched as Peter quickly jumped away and grabbed his hand clutching it to his chest. "It is nice to meet you Peter. I think you're the last person I had to meet, I better be getting Ginny home." He turned to leave and stumbled into Ginny.

"Yeah we better go." Ginny said in a hurry and then guided Harry out the door quickly. Once they were out of earshot, Ginny glaced at Harry and started talking, "What did you do to him?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but he should be fine." said Harry dismissively.

"Well he didn't look fine, what happened?" said a concerned Ginny.

"Well I was meeting all your friends, and I caught him staring at you, so I introduced myself and he decided to try and crush my hand." added Harry shrugging off the situation.

"That explains the sudden change of heart in using your name, but not why he recoiled from you so sharply" said Ginny with bite in her voice

"Due to his stature I decided to see what happened when I pooled magic into my hand. It turns out it must shock him. At least he didn't feel like he was suffocating to death like Hermione did." said Harry as he started down the street.

"Wait what? On second thought, I don't want to know…" said a flustered Ginny.

Harry stumble a few steps forward and could tell Ginny was upset. "What's wrong Ginny?" slurred Harry.

"Aside from my drunk jealous boyfriend could have just seriously hurt one of my teammates?" snapped Ginny.

"He's fine. He's a muscle brained git, but he's no worse for wear." added Harry.

They finally made it back to the apartment and Ginny excused herself for a minute. While he was waiting, Harry plopped down on the couch and passed out. Moments later Ginny came out and was unimpressed with the state of her boyfriend. She stormed back to her bedroom to sleep for the night.


End file.
